By Olatunbosun Obafemi
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday rejected accusations that his country is committing genocide in Gaza or using starvation as a weapon of war, telling the United Nations General Assembly that Israel was instead “feeding the people” of the territory.
“Those who peddle the blood libels of genocide against Israel are no better than those who peddled the blood libels against Jews in the Middle Ages,” Netanyahu declared in his address, which drew both a mass walkout by some delegations and cheers from invited supporters in the audience.
The Israeli leader said his military had “crushed the bulk” of Hamas’s “terror machine” and vowed to complete the campaign “as fast as possible.” He also highlighted what he described as a string of Israeli victories over the past year, including operations against Iran’s nuclear programme and the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon.
Netanyahu delivered the first speech of the day at the General Assembly, with delegates called to order as he mounted the podium.
