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Israeli delegation criticised for boycotting speech of Iran's president

February 11, 2014 at 1:48 pm

Israel’s delegation to the UN General Assembly walked out during the speech of the Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, a move criticised by Yair Lapid, the head of the Israeli Party Yesh Atid.


Lapid described the move as the “wrong action” and added: “Israel must not look as if it is refusing a political solution for Iran’s nuclear programme. We have to show that Iranians are the side that refuses peace.”

Responding to Lapid’s criticism, Israeli Minister for Strategic and Intelligence Affairs Yuval Steinitz said: “The step was deliberately studied and there was nothing new in the speech of the Iranian president.”

Steinitz also expressed his disappointment about Obama’s description of the West Bank as an occupied territory.