The Israeli Prime Minister delivered a sharply worded address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, criticizing the recent recognition of Palestinian statehood by ten additional countries, including France and the United Kingdom. He asserted that the decision was “terribly wrong” and would “promote terrorism against Jews – and against innocent people everywhere” labeling it a “mark of shame.
The speech was punctuated by demonstrative exits from the assembly hall by numerous delegations, accompanied by sporadic applause. Presiding officers repeatedly attempted to restore order before the Prime Minister could begin.
During his address, Netanjahu claimed a significant portion of Gaza’s population had expressed support for, or even celebrated, the Hamas attacks of October 2023. He further stated that Palestinians oppose a two-state solution, asserting, “They don’t want a Palestinian state alongside Israel. They want a Palestinian state in place of Israel”. This contrasts with a statement delivered the previous day by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who called for an independent state with borders based on the 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
To highlight the events of October 2023, the Prime Minister wore a badge displaying a QR code intended to direct viewers to related content. A portion of his speech was also broadcast via loudspeakers along the Gaza Strip, specifically addressed to Israeli hostages held by Hamas, stating, “We will not hesitate and we will not rest until we bring you all home.
Responding to accusations of genocide against the Palestinian population, Netanjahu launched a counter-attack, drawing parallels to historical antisemitic blood libels. He characterized those leveling the allegations as perpetuating the same type of baseless accusations used against Jews in the Middle Ages.
The Prime Minister also referenced and praised remarks from German conservative politician Friedrich Merz, reportedly stating he “told the truth: Israel is doing the dirty work for all of us”. He posited that the United States would have reacted similarly to the October 2023 attacks.
Meanwhile, concerns continue to mount regarding humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) initiative reported that severe hunger – the most extreme of the five IPC levels of food insecurity – has been declared for a portion of the territory, affecting at least half a million people experiencing catastrophic conditions marked by hunger, deprivation and mortality. An additional 1.07 million people are in emergency conditions (IPC Phase 4) and 396,000 face crisis conditions (IPC Phase 3). The initiative projects that nearly a third of Gaza’s population could be affected by these catastrophic conditions by the end of September, despite ongoing restrictions on aid deliveries into Gaza.
