Netanyahu threatened Iran with nuclear war, envoy reports to UN

During his UNGA speech, Netanyahu asserted that “Iran must face a credible nuclear threat,” a statement the PMO later retracted.

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (photo credit: REUTERS/FLASH90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi
(photo credit: REUTERS/FLASH90)
Iran will not hesitate to react to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “threat regarding nuclear weapons” made during his United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) speech, Iranian Ambassador Amir Saeed Iravani condemned in a Tuesday letter to the UN.

The Iranian response to Netanyahu’s speech was reported on Wednesday by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). IRNA is funded and operated by the Iranian government.

“We will not hesitate to exercise our legitimate and inherent rights to defend our national interests,” the ambassador wrote in the letter, according to IRNA.

“By order of our government, I would like to draw the Security Council’s attention to the recent alarming and serious threat by the Israeli Prime Minister regarding the use of nuclear weapons against Iran,” Iravani wrote.

During his UNGA speech, Netanyahu asserted that “Iran must face a credible nuclear threat.” adding, “As long as I’m Prime Minister of Israel, I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons.”

 Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani is seen on a screen as he speaks to delegates before a vote on a resolution recognizing Russia must be responsible for reparation in Ukraine at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, U.S., November 14, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/EDUARDO MUNOZ)
Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani is seen on a screen as he speaks to delegates before a vote on a resolution recognizing Russia must be responsible for reparation in Ukraine at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, U.S., November 14, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/EDUARDO MUNOZ)

The Prime Minister’s Office clarified Netanyahu’s comments after the General Assembly speech, saying that the prime minister meant to say “military threat.” According to the report, the Prime Minister’s office noted that a “military threat” rather than a “nuclear threat” was what had been written down in the prime minister’s speech notes.

Iran: Nuclear weapons pose a threat to humanity’s existence

“Considering that nuclear weapons pose a threat to the existence of humanity and the planet Earth, such a threat is incomparable in intensity and sends a shockwave to the international community, especially when such a threat is articulated from a credible forum like the United Nations General Assembly,” Iravani continued in the letter. “The use or even the mere threat of using nuclear weapons, regardless of circumstances, by anyone, at any time, and in any place, constitutes a clear violation of international laws.”

The Iranian ambassador added that the threat was especially serious as it comes from Israel, a nation whose government the letter describes as an “illegitimate regime” that is guilty of apartheid and support for terrorism.


In first, Israeli minister leads official delegation to Saudi Arabia

Haim Katz says tourism ‘a bridge between nations’ while attending UN World Tourism Organization event, as Jerusalem and Riyadh seem to edge closer to US-brokered normalization pact

Tourism Minister Haim Katz poses next to a UNWTO poster in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on September 26, 2023. (Courtesy: Haim Kaitz)

Tourism Minister Haim Katz poses next to a UNWTO poster in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on September 26, 2023. (Courtesy: Haim Kaitz)

Tourism Minister Haim Katz arrived Tuesday in Saudi Arabia for a United Nations conference, becoming the first Israeli minister to lead a delegation to the kingdom, according to his office.

Katz is on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia as part of a United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) event that coincides with World Tourism Day on September 27.

“Tourism is a bridge between nations,” Katz said in a statement. “Cooperation in the field of tourism has the potential to bring hearts together, and economic progress.”

“I will work to advance cooperation, tourism and the foreign relations of Israel,” he said.

Katz’s visit comes as Israel and Saudi Arabia seem to be edging closer to a normalization deal.

US President Joe Biden’s administration is actively engaging Riyadh and Jerusalem to try to broker a normalization deal between the two countries. As part of the framework, Saudi Arabia is also asking the US for a major mutual defense pact and significant arms deals, as well as Israeli concessions to the Palestinians.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to use a red marker on a map of ‘The New Middle East,’ as he addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, September 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the United Nations in his address last Friday that Israel was “on the cusp” of a historic deal with Saudi Arabia.

Earlier in the week, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman told Fox News that “every day we get closer” to his country normalizing ties with Israel, while clarifying that the Palestinian issue is still a “very important” component of the process and declaring that Saudi Arabia will have to obtain a nuclear weapon if Iran does.

Earlier this month, an Israeli delegation of nine staffers flew to Saudi Arabia as observers to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting. The delegation was led by the head of Israel’s Antiquities Authority and included diplomats, according to an Israeli official.

Next week, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi will land in Saudi Arabia on Monday evening to attend the Universal Postal Union’s 2023 Extraordinary Congress in Riyadh, his office told The Times of Israel. Karhi will speak at the UN conference, which runs from Sunday to Thursday next week.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, with Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi during a discussion and a vote in the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on March 1, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Karhi is flying through another country in the region, and has his visa already. He will bring a small delegation with him to the kingdom, which does not recognize Israel.

Karhi, a religious Jew, will not have a porch at his hotel on which to build a Sukkah during the Sukkot holiday next week, but will bring a lulav and etrog with him.

Knesset Economic Affairs Committee chairman David Bitan is also set to visit Saudi Arabia next week, according to Hebrew media reports.

Like Katz, both Karhi and Bitan are members of the ruling Likud party.

The delegation from Israel attends the UNESCO Extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh on September 11, 2023. (Rania Sanjar/AFP)

Israel reportedly backed off its attempts to have Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and Education Minister Yoav Kisch attend the conference after the Saudis introduced obstacles during the visa process.

In March, Axios reported that Saudi Arabia barred Cohen from leading a delegation to the UN World Tourism Organization conference. Cohen was unable to travel after the Saudis refused to discuss security arrangements, according to unnamed Israeli officials.

In July, a team of Israeli gamers was allowed into Saudi Arabia to participate in the video game version of the FIFA World Cup.


US attacks Israel’s ‘premature’ announcement on visa waiver deal

“The Secretary of Homeland Security…will make a determination in the coming days,” the US Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday.

 US-Israel visa waiver deal: American and Israeli passport (illustration) (photo credit: HADAR YOUAVIAN/FLASH90)
US-Israel visa waiver deal: American and Israeli passport (illustration)
(photo credit: HADAR YOUAVIAN/FLASH90)
The Israel-US Visa Waiver Program has not yet been finalized, according to a Tuesday statement from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in response to an announcement from the Foreign Ministry claiming the deal was in place.

“The Visa Waiver Program is not finalized,” the DHS said, “and [Israel] making such a statement was entirely premature.”

On Monday night, Israel announced that the United States is expected to announce this week that Israelis will no longer require a paper visa to enter the country but will be able to fly to America with a discounted electronic permit.

“This is great news for all Israeli citizens,” said Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. “Within a few weeks, Israelis will be able to visit the United States without the need for a long wait for a visa from the US Embassy.”

Instead, Israelis with biometric passports will be able to secure a visa within 72 hours of submitting their online request. Visas will be valid for up to 90 days.

 Will Israelis soon be able to travel to the US visa free? (Illustrative image of Israeli and American passports) (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Will Israelis soon be able to travel to the US visa free? (Illustrative image of Israeli and American passports) (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

Implementation of the decision is expected to take place in a few weeks, though practically, it will likely begin in November.

A new “diplomatic achievement”

“Israel’s inclusion in the visa waiver program is a diplomatic achievement,” Cohen continued. “The visa waiver will contribute to the economy in general and tourism in particular, reducing bureaucracy and costs.

“I would like to thank US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State, my friend Antony Blinken, for their support and leadership in granting visa waivers to Israelis, and especially to outgoing US Ambassador Tom Nides for leading the project here in Israel,” the foreign minister continued. “I would like to especially thank the consular department of the Foreign Ministry who worked diligently in recent months to achieve this joyful outcome.”

The electronic form, priced at $21, is accessible to all Israeli citizens. To apply, individuals must complete the ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) questionnaire through the US border authorities. This form is in English and encompasses essential biographical data, including name, date of birth, and passport particulars.

Additionally, travelers must respond to inquiries regarding their intended duration of stay in the United States, any history of illnesses, past arrests, convictions for criminal offenses, and any prior visa denials or deportations. It’s important to note that access to the criminal records of Israeli citizens by US authorities will not be indiscriminate but instead limited to specific cases as exceptions.

The approval, once received, will be valid for two years.

Israel has been working on getting the country accepted into the program for the past 18 months. The deadline for admission into the program for 2023 is September 30.

Among the stumbling blocks has been the US demand that all its citizens be similarly allowed to enter Israel visa-free, including Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza with US citizenship. Israel, for security reasons, has long leveled restrictions on Palestinian entry.

In July of this year, Israel and the US signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Extension of Reciprocal Privileges and the Visa Waiver Program (MOU on Reciprocity), by which the government committed to allowing the entry of Palestinians with US citizenship.

A pilot program for Palestinians is already in place, including for Gaza.

Israel has long sought to be part of the US visa waiver program but has yet to be able to meet some of the requirements, including a lower rate of rejections for visa applications.

Israel has struggled to meet those requirements. However, changes in travel patterns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with some bureaucratic shifts, brought Israel into compliance with the program’s standards.

Israel joins 40 other countries that are members of the program.

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.