VIDEO: Questioning Israeli ambassador at the UN: "The world should just step aside as you do all this carnage?"

“Hezbollah says they'll stop if you do a ceasefire in Gaza. So if you really care about the people in the north, why don't you do that?”

On Wednesday evening, as he came to a late meeting of the UN Security Council, I questioned the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon.

He claimed to care about Israelis in the north of Israel. I noted that “Hezbollah says they'll stop if you do a ceasefire in Gaza. So if you really care about the people in the north, why don't you do that?”

He dismissed “the linkage that Iran decided to do between Hezbollah and Hamas, holding the people of Lebanon hostage. That's something which I'm not familiar with. How can you do that?”

I responded: “So everyone should just allow — you asked me a question, you asked me a question. So the world should just step aside as you do all this carnage [in Gaza]. The world should just step aside as you commit genocide. You asked me a question.”

Danon: “You ask a question, you get an answer. The linkage that the Iranian regime did between Hezbollah and Hamas, holding the Lebanese people hostage, that's not done. You don't start a war with Israel just because you want to show sympathy for the atrocities of Hamas.” (Video by

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.)

Of course, Israel has prevented any remedy to stop its carnage of Gaza, peaceful or otherwise — so I noted: “You told the Hague to go to hell.”

Many knowledgeable analysts, such as Prof. Francis Boyle, have noted: “All the Biden administration has to do is order Israel to terminate its genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. If that were to occur, Hezbollah has stated that it will stand down.” See: “Analysts: If Biden Tells Israel to Stop Gaza Attack, Lebanon War Can be Averted.”

On Thursday morning, even Reuters is reporting: “Israel rejects US-backed Lebanon ceasefire plan, hits Beirut again.”

Danon’s use of “linkage” is notable. This was the phrase used to dismiss anyone who pointed to the brazen hypocrisy of how the US government had backed Israeli’s occupation of Palestinian land for decades while the US government was heading to massive war against Iraq following Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait in 1990. “Linkage” is a way of undermining things like minimal consistency or some sense of solidarity.

Full transcript:

Reporter: [Unintelligible] from US News and World Report, the question about negotiations, U.S. forces are saying there are talks going on to have a ceasefire. Do you see any progress in that? 

Israeli Ambassador: In our region, you know, you can have a lot of talks, but we actually are reserved when it happens. So I think that it will be well done, the initiative of different negotiators. And I think they know exactly what to expect. If we can achieve it with diplomacy, it will be much better for Israel, much better for Lebanon. I'm not sure [unintelligible] much about the people in Lebanon or the Iranians. The approach they received in the General Assembly, I'm not sure they would be happy about that. But for the sake of the Lebanese people and the Israelis, a diplomatic solution is much better for all.

Sam Husseini: But Hezbollah says that they'll stop if you get out of Gaza. 

Reporter: [Unintelligible] from the BBC, Lebanon had its deadliest days since the end of its civil war. On Monday, 500 people were killed and 50 children. Meanwhile, the U.S. is calling for restraint. President Biden says he wants de-escalation. Were you not listening to the Americans? 

Israeli Ambassador: Well, I don't know about those numbers. I don't know how many terrorists are included in those numbers. We are targeting terrorists who are sending rockets to our communities. A few hours ago, a rocket flew to Tel Aviv that was intercepted. We will continue to target the terrorists. But all of this can stop immediately. Once Hezbollah stops firing missiles and rockets into our civilian communities, there will be no signs of violence in the region.

Sam Husseini:  Hezbollah says they'll stop if you do a ceasefire in Gaza. So if you really care about the people in the north, why don't you do that? 

Israeli Ambassador: The linkage that Iran decided to do between Hezbollah and Hamas, holding the people of Lebanon hostage, that's something which I'm not familiar with. How can you do that? 

Sam Husseini: So everyone should just allow — you asked me a question, you asked me a question. So the world should just step aside as you do all this carnage. The world should just step aside as you commit genocide. You asked me a question. 

Israeli Ambassador: You ask a question, you get an answer. The linkage that the Iranian regime did between Hezbollah and Hamas, holding the Lebanese people hostage, that's not done. You don't start a war with Israel just because you want to show sympathy for the atrocities of Hamas. 

Sam Husseini: You told the Hague to go to hell. 

Reporter: So why this contradiction? Why this contradiction? One time you have decisive targets, you target Hezbollah. And another time you can instantly kill innocent people like over 500 civilians died in Lebanon. Why this contradiction? 

Israeli Ambassador: There is no contradiction. As we all know, in Balaq Lake, the launch of the rockets hit the civilian population, in houses, schools, hospitals. Once we know about their whereabouts to position the rockets, we target them. 

Reporter: How do you show this to us? 

Israeli Ambassador: Excuse me. I know you're very excited, but you ask questions, we give answers. So I'm asking you to answer. If someone knows that they are in his basement, or is in workshop, a rocket launcher, they should move out. Because we know about the whereabouts of the Hezbollah launcher in southern Lebanon. If they are worried about it, they should move out. But I think the end of the cycle of violence is for Hezbollah to stop its aggression. Because it's Hezbollah that's causing this. 

Israeli Ambassador: [unintelligible]... in Lebanon, I want to bring it back to Resolution 1701. That was adopted here by this council in 2006 with the [unintelligible] resolution, 1701. That's what I would tell my colleagues today. You don't have to invent the will. Adopt the resolution in front of you. It's about time to implement it. It's very clear, it calls for the presence of the Lebanese military in the border with Israel, not the Hezbollah, the militias, the [unintelligible] on the border with Israel. 

Reporter: The Prime Minister of Lebanon has told us that he would like a ceasefire. Will you [unintelligible]? 

Israeli Ambassador: Absolutely, and after that, I would like to see a ceasefire and the return home of Israelis to their homes in the north and thousands of Lebanese to their homes in southern Lebanon. That's what we all want to achieve. It's what will happen either after the war or before the war. We hope it will be before. Thank you very much.