Netanyahu says victory in 1948 war created Israel, not the UN

“Mr. Netanyahu must not forget that his country was created by a UN decision,” said the French president, alluding to the vote, in November 1947, by the UN General Assembly, on the plan to divide Palestine into a state Jewish and an Arab state.

“And consequently, this is not the time to exempt itself from UN decisions,” he added, as Israel carries out a ground offensive against the pro-Iranian Islamist movement Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where blue helmets are deployed.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 says that only the Lebanese Army and Unifil, the UN peacekeeping mission, should mobilize in southern Lebanon and establishes the cessation of hostilities on both sides of the border.

But Netanyahu claims that Hezbollah uses “Unifil’s facilities and positions as cover to carry out attacks” against Israel, and on Sunday asked UN Secretary-General António Guterres to place the peacekeepers “under protection immediately.”

Unifil, a force made up of 10,000 soldiers, including 700 French, has denounced “shocking violations” by Israel against its positions, and on Sunday reported the “forcible” entry of two tanks into one of its positions near the border.

The Israeli Army reported, in turn, that one of its tanks collided with a Unifil post while evacuating injured soldiers.