United Nations: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defiantly ruled out on Friday a two-state solution that would create an independent Palestinian state, calling it “suicidal” for his country.
He called the Western nations, including France, Canada, and Britain, naive for recognising the Palestine state, and denounced the General Assembly summit this week that overwhelmingly reaffirmed the two-state solution, which calls for a sovereign Palestine alongside Israel, both coexisting in peace.
“We will not allow you to shove a terror state down our throats” because of the media and other pressures they faced, he told the Western countries that had earlier been unconditionally aligned with Israel.
Their message was “murdering Jews pays off,” he asserted, citing the attacks on Jews around the world.
Netanyahu warned that Israel would “finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza unless it laid down arms and released the remaining hostages taken in the attack on Israel in 2023, in which more than 1,200 people were killed.
Hamas has said it wouldn’t, and a massive Israeli incursion into Gaza to root out Hamas is underway.
“Free the hostages now,” Netanyahu told Hamas from the podium
“If you do, you will live. If you don’t, Israel will hunt you down,” he threatened.
As he was escorted to the podium, several countries walked out of the Assembly hall, while others who stayed on cheered him.
Netanyahu, who uses props to underline his points, brought in a digital element this year, sporting a QR code on his lapel that he said would lead to a site showing the Hamas atrocities against Israelis.
He also held a “pop quiz” with a placard asking the audience to answer a question about who hates Israel. (Answer: All the groups and countries on his list that included terrorist groups and Iran.)
There were demonstrations for and against Netanyahu outside the UN.
At the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza across from the UN, groups held a vigil for the victims of the Hamas attack with floral tributes for them, and displayed pictures of the hostages still held by Hamas, demanding their release.
Elsewhere, raucous pro-Palestine and pro-Hamas protesters accused him of “genocide”.
In his speech, Netanyahu dismissed the “genocide” allegations outside and in the Assembly as paving the way for anti-Semitism.
He said that before Israel took any action, it notified the civilians to leave the areas, and if it was intent on “genocide”, it would not have tried to avoid civilian casualties.
He asked if those who carried out the genocide of Jews had asked them to leave before the attacks?
He denied that Israel was denying food to the people of Gaza and said that it had sent tonnes of food and essential supplies, and it was Hamas that was responsible for the hunger because it looted the food and prevented them from reaching the people.
Netanyahu likened the calls for a Palestinian nation to creating an al-Qaeda nation a mile from New York after it carried out the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
Palestinians would not keep their word when they said their nation would be peaceful, he said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in his speech on Thursday, denounced Hamas and demanded the release of hostages.
He said that Palestinians are not for an armed state and recognise Israel.
While Netanyahu reserved his harshest words for Iran, whose proxies in the region were being contained, he said that Israel was holding talks with Syria to normalise relations, which would have been unthinkable in the past.
(IANS)
