Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Friday in an angry UN address to block a Palestinian state, accusing European leaders of pushing his country into "national suicide" and rewarding Hamas. Netanyahu, who said his speech was being partially broadcast on Israeli military loudspeakers in Gaza, vowed to "finish the job" against Hamas even as President Donald Trump said he thought he had sealed a deal on a ceasefire. Days after Britain, France and other Western powers recognized a state of Palestine, Netanyahu said that they had sent "a very clear message that murdering Jews pays off." "Israel will not allow you to shove a terrorist state down our throats," Netanyahu said. "We will not commit national suicide because you don't have the guts to face down the hostile media and antisemitic mobs demanding Israel's blood." Hamas carried out the worst-ever attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering a relentless Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas, a rival of Hamas, condemned the attack as well as antisemitismin his own address Thursday, which he delivered virtually after the United States refused him a visa. Netanyahu -- who has opposed a Palestinian state for decades -- mocked Western support for Abbas and called the Palestinian Authority "corrupt to the core." But Palestinian foreign ministry official Adel Atieh called Netanyahu's address "the speech of a defeated man." Netanyahu notably did not touch on the issue of annexing the West Bank, which some members of his cabinet have threatened as a way to kill any prospect of a real Palestinian state. Trump, normally a staunch ally of Netanyahu, has warned against annexation as he pitches a peace plan on Gaza that would include the disarmament of Hamas. Netanyahu went out of his way to praise Trump, whom he will meet Monday in Washington. Trump said Friday just after Netanyahu spoke, "I think we have a deal." Former British prime minister Tony Blair was floated in some media reports as a possible leader of a transitional authority for Gaza under the US proposals.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, whose government has championed Hamas, said Friday he backed any ceasefire in Gaza. - Protests and circuitous route - With Netanyahu facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over war crime allegations, including using starvation as a weapon, the Israeli prime minister took an unusual route to New York that included flying over the narrow Strait of Gibraltar. As he walked up to the General Assembly rostrum many delegations walked out. Protesters marched nearby in Times Square calling for his arrest. "War criminals don't deserve any peace of mind. They don't deserve any sleep," said Andrea Mirez, a young woman who kept up an overnight noisy protest outside Netanyahu's hotel. Netanyahu in his address aggressively challenged allegations that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, noting Gazans were repeatedly urged to flee. However, humanitarian law also considers forced displacement to be a war crime. Nearly the entire population of the Gaza Strip has been displaced during the war.
[SRC] https://www.ewn.co.za/2025/09/27/netanyahu-says-palestinian-state-would-be-national-suicide-for-israel
