Netanyahu's Unusual Gesture at UN: Holding Up Starlink During Speech
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprising statement at the United Nations General Assembly. In front of world leaders, he held up a Starlink Mini satellite internet device on stage, offering it to the Iranian delegation as a direct jab at the internet restrictions imposed in that country.
During his approximately 40-minute speech, Netanyahu accused the Iranian government of fearing that its people would have access to the internet. For five months this year, the Iranian government has implemented widespread internet shutdowns to quell waves of protests occurring within the nation.
While Starlink, which is capable of bypassing terrestrial network blocks, is prohibited in Iran, thousands of devices are still smuggled into the country and used secretly by the population.
Netanyahu raised the Starlink Mini device before the assembly and stated, “I will leave this device so that you can give it to the Iranian delegation. So that when they inevitably side with the truth, they can also tell their stories freely on social media.”
He added that Starlant has helped the Iranian people access the truth, make their own choices, and express their opinions and thoughts without restriction. According to him, this is precisely why the Iranian government is working so hard to block it, spending billions of rupiah to cut off information access for its citizens.
Before Netanyahu began speaking, the Iranian delegation, along with several other nations, had left the assembly hall as a form of protest. Netanyahu referred to those boycotting his speech as “moral cowards” and urged them to leave the room immediately.
In addition to the Starlink incident, Netanyahu also rejected allegations that Israel’s military attacks in Gaza, which have killed more than 74,000 people, constitute genocide.
Iran had previously implemented internet blackouts for three months during the early stages of military attacks by Israel and the United States against the country. Internet access, according to Al Jazeera, began to “normalise” in May.
On the other hand, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have implemented censorship on social media content sent from Israel regarding attacks from Iran. All broadcasting activities concerning the impact of Iranian attacks on military facilities must receive military approval, including social media content.