Israel went to war Dec. 23. Yes, war. That was the term Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used to describe the campaign waged against Israeli settlements at the UN Security Council in New York.
Haaretz reported that Netanyahu threatened New Zealand’s foreign minister, Murray McCull, telling him, “If you continue to promote this resolution, from our point of view it will be a declaration of war.” Netanyahu probably wasn't intending to launch long-range missiles at Wellington, so one could assume that the prime minister was referring to a diplomatic war on New Zealand. Thus the day after the passage of UN Security Council Resolution 2334 affirming the illegality of Israeli settlements, Netanyahu set out for diplomatic battle — and not just against New Zealand's far-off islands. Netanyahu embroiled Israel in a diplomatic world war.
