At UNGA, Netanyahu calls Palestinian statehood "sheer madness," vows Israel will not allow it

New York [US], September 26 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a fiery address at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday, repeatedly invoking the October 7 attacks in Israel and drawing parallels with the September 11 terror strikes in the United States.

Netanyahu said, "Giving the Palestinians a state one mile from Jerusalem after October 7 is like giving al-Qaeda a state one mile from New York City after September 11." Members of the US delegation, Israel's closest ally and largest military supporter, were seen applauding as he spoke.

"This is sheer madness. It's insane, and we won't do it," Netanyahu added, while strongly criticising recent moves by Western nations to recognise a Palestinian state formally. "You didn't do something right. You did something wrong, horribly wrong," he said, insisting such steps would only embolden further attacks on Jews and "innocent people everywhere."

The Israeli leader maintained that granting Palestinian statehood would be akin to rewarding groups like Hamas, even as he acknowledged that 157 countries across the world have already recognised the State of Palestine.

As his speech drew to a close, Netanyahu struck an optimistic tone, asserting that Israel's ongoing conflict would ultimately lead to a more stable region. He suggested that peace with Lebanon was possible, despite ongoing clashes with Hezbollah, and noted contacts with Syria, even as Damascus continues to condemn Israeli strikes.

"Our victory would lead to a dramatic extension and expansion of the historic Abraham Accords, which President Trump brokered between Arab leaders and myself five years ago," he said, referring to the normalisation agreements signed with several Arab states.

Netanyahu strongly criticised several Western countries for recognising Palestine as a state during his address at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Netanyahu slammed countries like France, the UK, Australia, and Canada, calling their decision "sheer madness" and "national suicide."

Netanyahu accused these countries of "buckling under pressure" from activists and biased media, rewarding Hamas for the October 7, 2023, attacks.

Netanyahu vowed Israel must "finish the job" against Hamas in Gaza, emphasising the war won't end until Hamas is dismantled.

He rejected claims of Israel committing genocide in Gaza, blaming Hamas for civilian casualties and starvation.

The address came amid strained relations with Gulf countries following an Israeli strike in Qatar earlier this month. Analysts say the incident, combined with the war in Gaza, has further complicated prospects for normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Turning his focus to the Palestinian Authority (PA), Netanyahu accused it of promoting violence. "You should know that the Palestinian Authority pays terrorists to slay Jews. The more Jews the terrorists slay, the more the Palestinian Authority pays," he claimed. He further alleged that the PA had made repeated pledges of reform but "they never deliver. Because you see, the Palestinian Authority is corrupt to the core."

Netanyahu's remarks came even as the PA's President, Mahmoud Abbas, used his own UNGA speech a day earlier to stress Palestine's readiness to cooperate with the US, Saudi Arabia, France and the UN in efforts to establish peace in Gaza. Abbas also reiterated that Palestinians would "never leave their homeland."

The Israeli prime minister's address, which lasted about 45 minutes, drew both applause and jeers inside the Assembly Hall. He closed with a defiant message of resilience.

"On October 7, the enemies of Israel tried to extinguish that light. The resolve of Israel and the strength of Israel burned brighter than ever, with God's help, that strength and that resolve will lead us to a speedy victory, into a brilliant future of prosperity and peace," he said.

His remarks came as Netanyahu's arrival in New York sparked demonstrations in support of Palestine ahead of his address at the annual debate. Alongside him, Friday's line-up of speakers at UNGA 80 included leaders from Pakistan, China, Ireland and Greece.

In parallel with Netanyahu's appearance at the UN, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office (PMO) launched a public diplomacy campaign in New York, featuring dozens of massive billboards and mobile trucks emblazoned with the message "Remember October 7," strategically placed around the United Nations headquarters and the bustling Times Square.

The effort was aimed at underscoring the horrors of the Hamas-led attacks and the ongoing plight of 48 hostages held captive in Gaza. The initiative, spearheaded by the PMO and the Prime Minister's spokesperson unit ahead of Netanyahu's UNGA 80 address, was intended to jolt world leaders and the global public into confronting the brutality of Hamas.

"Ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the UN General Assembly, the Prime Minister's Office and the PM's Spokesperson's unit have initiated a public diplomacy campaign in New York on dozens of huge billboards and trucks around the UN building and in Times Square," the Israeli PMO said in a post on X.

"The goal of the campaign is to remind world leaders and the public about the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas and the unbelievable brutality of the terrorist organisation that continues to hold 48 hostages in captivity in Gaza," it added.

Each billboard and truck prominently displayed the English slogan "Remember October 7," accompanied by a QR code that, when scanned, directed users to a dedicated website hosting documentation of the October 7 attack in 2023, in which Hamas militants killed around 1,200 Israelis and more than 200 individuals.

"The public diplomacy front has been significantly strengthened during the current visit of the Prime Minister and his delegation," the PMO added. (ANI)

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