New York : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said from the United Nations podium, on Friday, that Israel is on the “threshold” of establishing relations with Saudi Arabia , considering that the Palestinians will not have the right to “veto” Israeli-Arab relations.
He added that the agreements concluded in 2020 to normalize relations with three Arab countries signaled “the dawn of a new era of peace” and now “I believe we are on the threshold of a more important breakthrough in a historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia.”
Netanyahu said in his speech before the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, “Our past efforts failed because they were based on the wrong idea that unless we reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians, any other Arab country will not normalize its relations with Israel.”
He added: “I have long sought to reach peace with the Palestinians, but I also believe that we must not give the Palestinians veto power over new peace agreements with Arab countries.”
He continued: “The Palestinians can benefit from broader peace and should be part of this process without having a veto over the process.”
He added, "I believe that more peace agreements with Arab countries will increase the chances of making peace between Israel and the Palestinians."
In this context, thousands of Israelis and American Jews demonstrated on Friday against Netanyahu in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The demonstrators raised banners reading “Netanyahu is illegitimate” and “Shame on Netanyahu,” according to Hebrew media.
The demonstrators are protesting against a package of controversial “judicial reform” laws being pushed by the Israeli government.
For 37 weeks, Israel has witnessed protest demonstrations against these laws, which the opposition says “turn Israel into a dictatorship.”
The protests began shortly before Netanyahu arrived at the United Nations headquarters to deliver his speech before the 78th session of the General Assembly in New York.
The online version of the Hebrew newspaper “Haaretz” said: “Thousands of Israelis and American Jews are demonstrating in New York on Friday, ahead of Netanyahu’s speech before the United Nations General Assembly.”
She added: “A group of Netanyahu supporters organized a counter-protest. A barrier separates the two groups.
Netanyahu is scheduled to leave the United States of America for Israel after delivering his speech before the United Nations.
Zelensky mobilizes support in America and Canada amid fears of a cut in Washington's aid
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a visit to the United States of America and Canada in order to mobilize political and military support for his country to confront Russia, amid fears that this support may slow down, which may tip the balance in Moscow’s favor.
US President Joe Biden announced a new military support package for Ukraine, including US M1 Abrams tanks, to enhance Kiev's capabilities in confronting Russian forces.
“Next week, the first American Abrams tanks will arrive in Ukraine,” Biden said at the White House, alongside his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, on Thursday.
Biden said he had “approved the next tranche of military aid to Ukraine,” which the Pentagon estimated at $325 million.
The aid package includes air defense missiles, ammunition for Hymars missile systems, anti-tank weapons, and artillery rounds.
For his part, Zelensky stressed the need to "remain united" in the face of Russia, seeking to persuade the Americans to continue their great support for his country amid the attempt of right-wing members of Congress to cut off aid to Kiev.
Zelensky had visited Congress, warning his Republicans, who were hesitant to approve a new major aid package for Ukraine, that his country faced the risk of losing the war to Russia if the flow of support stopped.
“I stressed that Ukraine’s victory guarantees that neither Russia nor any other dictatorship will destabilize the free world,” he wrote on the X platform. He added, "To win, we must remain united."
Although Biden formed the driving force for Western support for Ukraine, the US President acknowledged that the possibility of a slowdown in this support constitutes one of the pillars of the Russian strategy, especially since the conflict will take place within the months of its second year, with the approaching winter and its impact on the conduct of military operations on the ground.
Mobilizing support in Canada
Following the end of his visit to the United States, Zelensky will make his first visit today, Friday, to Canada, a close ally of his country, where he is expected to receive a warmer welcome than he received from some American politicians who are suspicious of providing more military aid to his country.
Canada is one of the countries most supportive of Kiev in its war against Russia, and a government official said that it intends to announce during the visit that it will send more weapons to Ukraine.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in New York on Thursday, "Canada will continue to support Ukraine, no matter how long it takes, and we will always stand firm to defend the rule of law and order based on international rules."
Zelensky is scheduled to address parliament in Ottawa, then hold a press conference with Trudeau. He had spoken to MPs remotely in March 2022.
Ihor Michalchyshyn, executive director of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, a lobby group, said Canada is influential given its membership in both the G7 and NATO, and noted that all Canadian political parties support Ukraine.
“So I think the president should expect and demand more from his Canadian partners,” he said in an interview. “If Ukraine’s friends want it to win the war, the only way to achieve that is to renew and increase military support.”
Since the beginning of 2022, Canada has pledged to provide more than eight billion Canadian dollars ($5.9 billion) in aid to Ukraine, including more than 1.8 billion Canadian dollars in military aid.
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