The Israeli Prime Minister plays the shame game, turning his attention away from the serious business of leading his country.

It's a hard life being a diplomat.

It's bad enough they have to endure three twelve-hour-a day sessions at the United Nations General Assembly, listening to leaders from countries - some of which they could probably not even place on the map - have their fifteen minutes of fame on the podium.

This year, they found themselves being called shameless and indecent by one of their own.

“... the man who calls the Holocaust a lie spoke from this podium. To those who refused to come here and to those who left this room in protest, I commend you. You stood up for moral clarity and you brought honor to your countries.

But to those who gave this Holocaust-denier a hearing, I say on behalf of my people, the Jewish people, and decent people everywhere: Have you no shame? Have you no decency?”

That came from Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, after an elaborate show-and-tell on the veracity of the Holocaust and yes, the six million who perished...

If there was a sure way to lose friends and alienate people at the UN, this must be it. Maybe the Israeli prime minister didn't care. After all, the UN General Assembly is a party that can always be relied on to vote in favour of censuring Israel for its actions in the Palestinian territories.

Besides, Netanyahu already had friends where it mattered.

The Canadians for one, did not even bother turning up to hear the Iranian president criticise Israel's 'inhuman policies' in the Palestinian territories.

Some others who did, walked out, led by France, and followed by the United States, Argentina, Australia, Britain, Costa Rica, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy and New Zealand.

See the big names there?

With these influential pals behind him, Netanyahu went on to do exactly what UN chief Ban Ki Moon called “very regretful" about Ahmedinejad's speech : misusing the conference for political purposes.

Not content with insulting his fellow world leaders, Netanyahu spared no ammo against the "tyrants of Tehran". He commended those protesting against Ahmadinejad's re-election, reminding us how they “died in the streets choking in their own blood,” using Iranians - who in all honesty probably resented Israel as much as they did their leaders - to support his own legitimacy.

It was pathetic. Tit-for-tat, insult-hurling, this that our leaders do, reducing world politics to playground warfare.

What was more disgraceful was that when he condemned those who gave Ahmadinejad a hearing, Netanyahu single-handedly turned Israel exactly into what it was established to be a refuge against : tyranny and intolerance.

Freedom of speech, Mr Netanyahu, means allowing even those you do not agree with to speak. Freedom means allowing people to choose if they want to listen to something offensive or not. Israel calls itself a democratic nation, so surely you as its prime minister can understand this simple tenet of democracy?

With this being his third outing as Israeli premier, Netanyahu could surely do better to aspire to greater things, like peace perhaps. He has a charismatic US president willing to back him with his seemingly interminable resource of goodwill, and broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

The only thing Netanyahu needs to remember is that Obama said, “Yes we can!”, not “ Yes I can!”

For the sake of his people, one can only hope that they have in Netanyahu a leadership with the determination to work with the opportunity presented right now like a proper statesman, and bring them some lasting peace.

God knows, 62 years after the genocide to eliminate them, they deserve that.

And really, as their prime minister and a fellow Israeli, Netanyahu should too.