Netanyahu at UN defends war aims as Western Palestine recognition inflames row

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the United Nations General Assembly on Friday that Western leaders recognizing a Palestinian state are attempting to "shove a terror state down our throats" and vowed that Israel will finish the war against Hamas in Gaza. He argued that such recognitions amount to supporting those he described as murderers and urged the international community to condemn them, saying, "Your disgraceful decision will encourage terrorism against Jews and against innocent people everywhere."

Netanyahu did not name individual leaders in every moment, but he targeted Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain and other Western officials who announced or supported recognizing an independent Palestinian state. He noted that Britain, along with Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium and France, had moved to recognize Palestine, and he pressed the argument that such steps would destabilize the region. He also referenced U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks during a visit to the United Kingdom, noting a disagreement with Prime Minister Starmer over the move.

As delegates began to depart the hall in fits of protest, Netanyahu delivered a forceful defence of Israel’s campaign in Gaza. He held up a map titled "THE CURSE" and used it to illustrate his argument that Western recognition of a Palestinian state near Jerusalem would amount to assisting what he described as a terrorist program. He told the assembly that Israel will not allow a state in the heart of the country and warned that doing so would amount to national suicide in his view, saying, "We will not commit national suicide because you don't have the guts to face down a hostile media and anti-Semitic mobs demanding Israel's blood."

The speech came as dozens of delegates from multiple nations, including Iran, walked out of the General Assembly chamber when Netanyahu began speaking. The scene underscored the deep international divisions over how to respond to the Gaza war, now in its latest phase after Hamas’s 2023 attacks and Israel’s subsequent siege and bombardment in Gaza.

Netanyahu asserted that the war could end immediately if hostages were returned, Hamas was disarmed, and the Gaza Strip was demilitarized. He argued that Western recognition of a Palestinian state, especially "one mile from Jerusalem after October 7," would be tantamount to rewarding Hamas and thereby inviting further violence. He said, "This is sheer madness, it’s insane, we won’t do it."

The Israeli leader also used the moment to tout what he described as strategic gains, including actions against Iran’s nuclear program and the killing of Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon. He credited these developments with strengthening Israel’s position and urged Western states to back a more robust security approach while resisting what he called pressure to concede a Palestinian state in areas he asserted were critical to Israel’s security.

The international response to Western recognitions has been mixed. The United States has not recognized a Palestinian state, while several European and allied governments have taken steps in that direction. The European Union has discussed tariffs and sanctions as a lever to shape Israel’s policy, and the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant accusing Netanyahu of crimes against humanity, which he denies. Separately, South Africa has urged the ICC to pursue actions in what it calls genocide cases, a claim Israel rejects as unfounded.

Throughout his remarks, Netanyahu framed the conflict as a struggle over what he described as the fate of the Jewish state and the security of Israeli civilians. He asserted that the Palestinian leadership’s rejection of a Jewish state has fueled the conflict for more than a century and argued that Palestinian leaders bear responsibility for ongoing violence and instability in the region.

At another front of the week’s events, Netanyahu’s office said Israel would broadcast the speech into Gaza via loudspeakers placed on trucks along the border—an unprecedented step intended to reach Palestinians with the prime minister’s message. The Internal Security and Military authorities said the operation was designed to avoid endangering soldiers, though questions remained about whether such a deployment complied with the prime minister’s stated aims or crossed into tactical territory. Some outlets reported that the Times of Israel raised questions about the move, highlighting potential inconsistency between official orders and on-the-ground actions. Nine loudspeaker systems were deployed as part of the effort, aimed at civilian Gazans and Hamas operatives alike.

Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority, addressed the U.N. via video from Ramallah earlier in the week, as the United States had denied him a visa for an in-person appearance. Delegates have repeatedly called for a ceasefire and greater humanitarian aid to Gaza, underscoring the international community’s enduring pressure to alter the course of the conflict while large parts of the world call for statehood recognition based on security and humanitarian concerns.

Netanyahu’s appearance at the U.N. came amid a broader debate about the shape of a possible two-state solution. He reiterated his opposition to a Palestinian state under current conditions, arguing that it would empower Hamas and jeopardize Israel’s security. He urged Western leaders to continue opposing steps that could, in his view, legitimize what he described as a terrorist organization operating inside Israeli territory. While some nations have embraced Palestinian statehood in the wake of the Gaza war, others have resisted such a move, emphasizing the need for security guarantees, legitimacy for Palestinian state-building, and progress on humanitarian relief.

The clash at the U.N. reflected deeper tensions about how international actors should respond to the Gaza crisis, balancing calls for humanitarian access and a ceasefire with insistence on Israel’s right to defend itself. Netanyahu’s speech intensifies a high-stakes diplomatic debate that stretches from New York to capitals around the world, as world leaders weigh next steps in a conflict that has drawn charges of war crimes and spurred a struggle over regional stability, international law, and long-standing security guarantees for Israel and the Palestinian territories.