POWER,IDEOLOGY,AND RHETORIC:A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU’S 2024 UN SPEECH

Abstract

Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is an important framework for identifying the underlying power structures and ideologies in political discourse. It enables scholars to analyze how languages shape political and social realities. This research provides an in-depth examination of Benjamin Netanyahu's United Nations General Assembly speech on 27 September 2024 and illustrates how political rhetoric is used to create ideological narratives using Fairclough’s three-dimensional CDA model. The study shows how Netanyahu portrays Iran and Israel in international politics through rhetorical strategies such as binary opposition, historical analogies, and moral appeal. These discursive strategies present Iran as an existential threat and Israel as a defender of peace. The results highlight how language is strategically used to justify political objectives and influence international perceptions. The study improves the understanding of political rhetoric and ideological representation in the geopolitical affairs of the Middle East.