Netanyahu instructs ministers: Keep mum on Iranian issue
Prime minister instructs cabinet to refrain from discussing details of his UN General Assembly address, most specifically details pertaining to Iranian issue, so as to maintain uniform message
On the eve of his trip to New York to participate in the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed his ministers to keep mum on all matters concerning his trip, most specifically details pertaining to the Israeli perspective regarding Iran.
Netanyahu's instruction reportedly derived from an attempt to present a united front regarding the issues and maintain a cohesive message during the Israeli's delegation stay at the assembly and Netanyahu's speech and meetings.
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Netanyahu is scheduled to leave for New York later Saturday and will leave for Washington on Monday, when he is to address the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
Earlier this week, the prime minister instructed Israeli diplomats to leave the UN General Assembly when Iran's new president, Hassan Rohani, addresses the gathering, noting the world "should not be fooled" by signs of moderation from Tehran.
Finance Minister Yair Lapid criticized the decision of Israel's official delegation to the UN – Minister Yuval Steinitz and Israel's Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor – to boycott Iranian President Hassan Rohani's address at the General Assembly on Tuesday, calling it a mistake.
"Israel shouldn't be portrayed as a serial objector to negotiations uninterested in peaceful solutions. We must make the Iranians be peace objectors. Leaving the UN Assembly is reminiscent of the ways Arab states behaved towards Israel."
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