Netanyahu: UN is ‘house of lies’

“The State of Israel flatly rejects this vote even before it is held. Jerusalem is our capital,” Netanyahu said of a UN vote on Jerusalem’s status. 

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

The United Nations (UN) is a “house of lies,” while Jerusalem will remain Israel’s capital despite any UN decision to the contrary, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated.

Speaking on Thursday at the launch of Assuta Hospital in Ashdod and ahead of a UN General Assembly discussion on a resolution calling for the withdrawal of President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Netanyahu said that “today is a very important day in Israel and outside Israel.”

“Jerusalem is the capital of Israel whether the UN recognizes it or not,” Netanyahu stressed, saying that while “it took 70 years for the US to officially recognize it, and it will take more years until the UN also recognizes it.”

Netanyahu noted that many countries’ attitudes toward Israel “are changing outside the walls of the UN,” a shift he believes “in the end will permeate inside the walls of the UN building – the house of lies.”

Following Monday’s US veto of a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution that called for the withdrawal of Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the Palestinians initiated a vote on the same measure at the UN General Assembly later today.

Since the Palestinian Authority (PA) is a non-member observer state at the world body rather than a full UN member, a bloc of countries led by Turkey and Bolivia will submit the resolution on behalf of the Palestinians.

The measure is expected to pass due to the Arab and Muslim majority in the General Assembly, but it would merely be a symbolic move with no practical implications for Israel or the US.

“The State of Israel flatly rejects this vote even before it is held,” Netanyahu declared. “Jerusalem is our capital. We will continue to build in it and foreign embassies, led by the US embassy, will move to Jerusalem. It will happen.”

He thanked Trump and US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley “for standing up for Israel and for standing up for the truth. Ultimately the truth will prevail.”

Haley warned member states not to vote against it during the pending UN vote, saying “there’ll be a vote criticizing our choice. The US will be taking names.”

Echoing Haley’s statements, Trump threatened to slash aid to nations that vote in the UN against the US’ decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

“We’re watching those votes,” Trump warned on Wednesday during a Cabinet meeting. “Let them vote against us. We’ll save a lot. We don’t care. But this isn’t like it used to be where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars and nobody knows what they’re doing.”