In his first speech at the United Nations since the Gaza war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to paint Iran as the main source of the conflict in the Middle East and displayed two maps, showing a group of countries as “The Curse” and another group as “The Blessing”. Interestingly, both the maps showed Palestinian territories – the West Bank and Gaza — as part of Israel. The map on Netanyahu’s right hand showed Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen painted in black, terming them as “The Curse”. In his left hand, the map showed Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and India painted in green. These countries were termed “The Blessing”. The Golan Heights region in Syria was also shown as being part of Israel.
The move by Netanyahu, who has a history of using props at the United Nations General Assembly, was being seen as Israel’s bid to emphasise its growing relations with neighbouring Arab countries.
