Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday used his address at the United Nations General Assembly to strongly oppose the creation of a Palestinian state, describing it as a danger to Israel’s survival.
He accused Western governments of rewarding violence by recognizing Palestine shortly after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
Netanyahu said his country would continue military operations in Gaza until Hamas was defeated, dismissing recent international calls for a ceasefire. His remarks came as former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is seeking a negotiated plan for Gaza, announced that he believed progress had been made on an agreement. Netanyahu praised Trump and is expected to meet him in Washington on Monday.
The Israeli leader, who has resisted Palestinian statehood for decades, also dismissed the Palestinian Authority led by Mahmoud Abbas, describing it as unfit to govern. However, he did not mention annexation of the West Bank, an option supported by some members of his government.
The speech drew both applause and protest. Several delegations walked out of the hall before he began, while supporters cheered from the gallery. Outside the UN headquarters and near his hotel in New York, demonstrators called for Netanyahu’s arrest over allegations of war crimes in Gaza. The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant against him, accusing Israel of using starvation and forced displacement as weapons of war.
Netanyahu denied accusations of genocide, insisting that Israel has given civilians in Gaza repeated warnings to evacuate. The conflict began after Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel, killing over 1,200 people in what Israeli officials describe as the deadliest day in the nation’s history. Israel’s retaliatory strikes in Gaza have since killed more than 65,000 people, most of them civilians, according to health officials in the enclave.
During his address, Netanyahu directed part of his speech to Hamas leaders and hostages still held in Gaza, promising that Israel would not stop until all captives were either rescued or accounted for. Hostage families, however, have criticized his strategy, urging for negotiations instead of intensified military action.
The Israeli leader also displayed a map of the Middle East, crossing out adversaries eliminated by Israeli forces. Iran, which boycotted the session, left photographs of its citizens killed in Israeli strikes on its delegation’s desk in protest.