Netanyahu: UN a ‘house of lies’

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the United Nations as a “house of lies” ahead of a vote on Thursday on a draft resolution calling on the United States to withdraw its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

His comments came as Israel intensively lobbied countries to oppose the resolution and as South Africa’s ruling party said the country should downgrade its embassy in Tel Aviv to a liaison office as a show of solidarity to Palestinians.

“The State of Israel totally rejects this vote, even before (the resolution’s) approval,” Netanyahu said in a speech the port city of Ashdod.

Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump and the country’s UN envoy Nikki Haley for “their brave and uncompromising stance”. He repeated his prediction that other countries would eventually follow Washington’s lead in pledging to move their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“The attitude towards Israel of many countries, on all continents, outside the walls of the United Nations, is changing and will ultimately permeate into the UN - the house of lies,” he said.

Israel’s deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely said the US and Israel were making “immense efforts” to block the resolution.

“We have a very, very simple message: Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years and the capital of Israel for almost 70 years,” she told Channel 10. An Israeli foreign ministry official confirmed the government was making a “very vast” lobbying campaign to minimise the resolution’s impact.