Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will oppose calls for a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly session in New York, calling the initiative a “danger to Israel’s existence” and an “absurd reward for terror.”
“At the UN, I will present the truth. It is the truth of Israel, but at the same time it is also the objective truth of our just struggle against the forces of evil and our vision of real peace – peace through strength,” he told a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu stressed that Israel must “fight on all platforms” against “false propaganda and demands for a Palestinian state.” He said international recognition of Palestinian statehood only encourages the actions of the Hamas group (recognised as a terrorist group in the US and EU).
The prime minister also reminded that he will meet with US President Donald Trump after his speech at the General Assembly. This will be the fourth meeting with him since the beginning of Trump’s second presidential term.
“We have many issues to discuss,” Netanyahu noted.
On Sunday, 21 September, three countries – Britain, Canada and Australia – simultaneously announced official recognition of Palestinian statehood. The respective statements were released by the prime ministers of these states.
Earlier, on September 12, the UN General Assembly approved a resolution in support of the so-called New York Declaration – a statement developed at the initiative of France and Saudi Arabia outlining the principles of a peaceful settlement in the Middle East, based on the creation of an independent Palestinian state in which the Hamas group (recognised as a terrorist group in the US and the EU) would not be in power.
Resolutions of the UN General Assembly are not binding, but they are indicative of the balance of power in the World Organisation. In favour of the document were 142 countries, 10 were against it. the majority of EU countries, the UK, many Arab countries, China, as well as Ukraine and the Russian Federation voted in favour of the resolution. Israel, the US, Hungary and Argentina voted against it. Iran did not vote, and several countries, notably Moldova and the Czech Republic, abstained.
The resolution condemned the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, called for the release of the hostages, and said Hamas should “complete the administration of Gaza and hand over arms to the Palestinian Authority authorities with the support of the international community.”
Israel has expressed disagreement with the document because it envisages as a just end to the conflict the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. The official position of the Israeli authorities is that a Palestinian State should not be established, as reiterated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 11 September. The statements of several countries about their intention to recognise Palestinian independence are interpreted by the Israeli authorities as a reward for Hamas militants.
France and several other states were expected to recognise Palestinian independence by the end of September. They stress that the Palestinian state should be demilitarised and live in peace with Israel, and Hamas should not be involved in governance. The war in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in general are expected to be a central theme at the upcoming session of the General Assembly with the participation of many leaders.