TOI reports that a senior Palestinian Authority official tore into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech earlier Friday at the United Nations General Assembly, calling the address “arrogant” and “racist.”

“The prime minister of the occupation government, Benjamin Netanyahu, did not surprise us with his speech at the United Nations, which was, as usual, an arrogant and racist speech to a disgusting degree — full of lies and contradictions [about] all the facts,” Mahmoud al-Habash told The Times of Israel.

Habash serves as the supreme Sharia judge of the PA and as an adviser to PA President Mahmoud Abbas for religious affairs and Islamic relations.

“The prime minister of the occupation government has used the method of lying over and over until people believe you; then continue lying until you believe yourself,” Habash said. “This method has become shamefully exposed before the international community and there is no longer anyone who believes these lies and distortions of facts, to the point that the United Nations hall was completely empty during his speech because the world is no longer able to hear the torrent of lies, arrogance, and disconnection from reality that Netanyahu lives in,” he continued.

In his speech Friday, Netanyahu touted the prospects for a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia, saying Israel was “at the cusp” of a historic peace agreement with Riyadh, which he predicted would transform the Middle East.

The hall was largely empty on the last morning of the confab Friday, but in another encouraging sign for Netanyahu, a lone Saudi official wearing a black head covering sat listening to the entire speech. The address also came days after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman struck an optimistic tone about the prospects of an agreement, telling Fox News that “every day we get closer” to Saudi Arabia normalizing ties with Israel.

On Friday, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed hailed the Saudi crown prince’s remarks, more than three years after the UAE signed onto the US-brokered Abraham Accords that secured normalization deals with Abu Dhabi, Manama, and Casablanca.

“The broadcast interview with my brother Mohammed bin Salman was a testament to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s remarkable transformation and long record of achievement,” tweeted bin Zayed. “United by our shared success story, the UAE and Saudi Arabia stand together in empowering generations to come.”

Source - TOI/X - Image - Reuters