In a defiant address at the United Nations in New York on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphatically rejected calls for a Palestinian state. He condemned the recognition of Palestine by over 150 nations as ‘disgraceful’ and pledged to ‘finish the job’ against Hamas in the ongoing conflict within the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu’s long-standing refusal to accept Palestinian statehood was starkly evident, his speech delivered to a conspicuously empty hall that seemed to symbolize Israel’s deepening diplomatic isolation. This address came at a particularly sensitive moment, as global condemnation intensifies regarding Israel’s devastating military actions in Gaza. Several key Western powers, including Britain, France, and Canada, have recently reversed their positions to formally recognize Palestine, adding significant international pressure.
Addressing the sparse audience, Netanyahu declared, ‘Israel will not allow you to shove a terror state down our throats.’ He reiterated that an independent Palestine would constitute ‘national suicide’ for Israel and would forever be a ‘mark of shame’ for the numerous nations, representing the vast majority of the UN, that support it.
Notably, the United States remains the sole member of the U.N. Security Council that has not yet recognized a Palestinian state.
A stark image from Friday shows delegates leaving the United Nations General Assembly as Prime Minister Netanyahu delivered his address, indicating widespread disapproval.
Netanyahu’s speech opened Friday’s session of the annual U.N. General Assembly meeting, but a significant number of delegates and leaders were absent, either having not yet arrived, actively boycotting, or walking out mid-speech. The image of the Israeli prime minister addressing a largely empty hall, with much of the applause coming from his own delegation, underscored a growing concern among some Israelis that their nation is increasingly viewed as a pariah state.
Adding to the diplomatic drama, Mr. Netanyahu’s flight to New York from Israel reportedly took an unusually circuitous route. Flight tracking data indicated he deliberately avoided the airspace of two European nations that have been vocal critics of Israel’s actions in the Gaza war.
While his office offered no explanation for the extended flight path, which added roughly an hour to his journey, it’s widely understood that the Prime Minister is under an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Gaza. France and Spain, the countries whose airspace he skirted, are signatories to the Rome Statute, the treaty governing the I.C.C., potentially obligating them to arrest him. Neither the United States nor Israel are parties to this treaty.
Despite Israeli authorities reportedly securing permission for French airspace passage, a French diplomat, speaking anonymously, indicated that Mr. Netanyahu appeared unwilling to take any risks.
On the streets of New York City, protesters gathered on Friday to vocally denounce the ongoing war in Gaza, marching towards the United Nations.
Simultaneously, outside the United Nations, hundreds of demonstrators filled the streets of New York City, protesting the war in Gaza, which is approaching its two-year anniversary. The conflict’s extensive destruction and a death toll reported by Gaza health officials to exceed 65,000—comprising both civilians and combatants—have appalled even Israel’s staunchest allies. The majority of Gaza’s infrastructure lies in ruins or is severely damaged, and widespread hunger persists.
Netanyahu suggested that ‘much of the world no longer remembers Oct. 7’—the Hamas-led assault on Israel that claimed 1,200 lives and ignited the Gaza conflict. ‘But we remember,’ he asserted, noting that 48 hostages, from the more than 250 initially captured, remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to still be alive.
He meticulously read the names of the 20 hostages presumed to be alive, stating that the war could conclude ‘right now’ if Hamas agreed to Israel’s terms: releasing all hostages, disarming, and ceding any remaining power in the territory.
Throughout his approximately 40-minute speech, Netanyahu maintained an unyielding stance. He pledged Israel’s continued pursuit of its adversaries, characterizing them as a unified network orchestrated by Iran. He detailed Israel’s various strikes against its enemies in Iran, Lebanon, and Yemen over the preceding year.
Netanyahu even made light of a covert Israeli operation from the previous year, which involved detonating thousands of exploding pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. This attack resulted in dozens killed and many more wounded.
‘You remember those beepers, those pagers?’ the prime minister quipped. ‘We paged Hezbollah and believe me they got the message.’
Regarding Gaza, Mr. Netanyahu claimed Israel was doing ‘everything it can to get civilians out of harm’s way,’ rejecting accusations of genocide brought against his country at the International Court of Justice in The Hague and supported by a recent United Nations commission.
He asserted that Israel’s evacuation orders for Gaza’s civilians served as proof against committing genocide, provocatively asking, ‘Did the Nazis ask the Jews to kindly leave, go out?’
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delivered his United Nations address via video conference on Thursday.
However, human rights organizations and experts counter that mass displacement is frequently a component of genocide, not a defense against it. In July, B’Tselem, a prominent Israeli human rights group, characterized the displacement in Gaza as ‘coordinated action to intentionally destroy Palestinian society,’ an act they equated to genocide.
In his own U.N. address on Thursday, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of genocide and war crimes, while simultaneously condemning the Oct. 7 attack and asserting that Hamas would play no part in the governance of a future Palestinian state. Notably, Mr. Abbas delivered his speech via video link, having been denied a visa by the United States to attend in person.
Meanwhile, members of Netanyahu’s right-wing governing coalition have openly advocated for the annexation of all or part of the occupied West Bank, traditionally considered the heart of a future Palestinian state, as well as Gaza. This controversial topic has been a central point of discussion among Arab leaders at the General Assembly, who express strong opposition to any annexation.
In a significant development, President Trump, Israel’s key ally, stated from the Oval Office on Thursday, ‘I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.’ Trump, keen to conclude the Gaza war and claim a peace achievement, emphasized, ‘There’s been enough. It’s time to stop now.’
Netanyahu, slated to meet with Trump at the White House on Monday, conspicuously omitted any mention of annexation in his U.N. address.
Just a day prior, Mr. Abbas had powerfully declared, ‘Palestine is ours.’
Additional reporting for this article was provided by Farnaz Fassihi, Andy Newman, Adam Rasgon, and Olivia Bensimon.