Mapping the New Middle East: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Netanyahu’s Speech at UNGA in 2023

Abstract

The present study focuses on the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's vision of the "new Middle East" by identifying the lexical choices and rhetorical strategies he has used in his speech at UNGA in 2023 which was aimed at reshaping the regional dynamics and setting Israel's position within global peace and prosperity. By conducting a critical discourse analysis of the language used by Benjamin Netanyahu, the research indicates how language constructs and expresses power in addition to the realization of overt and covert ideologies. By Applying Norman Fairclough's model of CDA (2005), this study elucidates how Netanyahu orients Israel as a historical and geographical pivot after the declaration of its alliance with Saudi Arabia and some other Arab states. The findings have established the centrality of language in the construction of ideologies and set it as a junction of discourse and power in Netanyahu's visualization of the Middle East. The study implicates how language is employed to legitimize the political authority, perpetuate national interests and reinforce structures of power on the international stage.