UNITED NATIONS: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a defiant message to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday against Palestinian statehood while facing rare pressure from US President Donald Trump.
Netanyahu’s address came days after France, Britain and several other Western powers took the landmark step of recognising a state of Palestine out of frustration over Israel’s two-year offensive in Gaza.
The longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history has consistently rejected a Palestinian state while his far-right allies have considered annexing the West Bank to eliminate prospects for an independent Palestine.
Trump, normally a staunch Netanyahu ally, has warned against annexation as he promotes a Gaza peace plan that would include disarming Hamas following its October 7, 2023 attack.
“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank,“ Trump told reporters at the White House before the speech.
Trump spoke by telephone with Netanyahu on Thursday ahead of the Israeli leader’s expected Monday visit to Washington.
With Netanyahu facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over war crime allegations including starvation tactics, he took an unusual flight path to New York via the Strait of Gibraltar.
Trump’s real-estate friend turned global negotiator Steve Witkoff was seen entering Netanyahu’s tightly guarded Manhattan hotel.
Approximately 20 protesters and a similar number of supporters gathered outside the prime minister’s accommodation.
“War criminals don’t deserve any peace of mind,“ said protester Andrea Mirez.
Activists planned a Friday march from Times Square demanding Netanyahu’s arrest to coincide with his UN speech.
Israel’s offensive has killed more than 65,500 Palestinians according to health ministry figures from Hamas-run Gaza that the UN considers reliable.
The October 7 Hamas attack killed 1,219 people according to an AFP tally from Israeli figures marking the deadliest day in Israel’s history.
French President Emmanuel Macron convened a special summit that led to Palestinian state recognition by France, Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal among other Western powers.
Western governments expressed frustration with Israel’s recent massive new offensive in Gaza where virtually the entire population has been displaced.
“What is happening in Gaza is indefensible, it is inhumane, it is utterly unjustifiable and it must end now,“ British Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told the General Assembly on Thursday.
Netanyahu has criticised Western opponents and the UN which he calls biased while defying Trump through military actions in Iran, Qatar and Syria despite US diplomacy.
“Netanyahu’s tone will be strident in the extreme,“ said International Crisis Group UN expert Richard Gowan.
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas addressed the General Assembly by video on Thursday after the US refused him a visa.
Abbas said Hamas should have no future while condemning both the October 7 attacks and antisemitism.
Gowan doubted Abbas’s speech would influence Netanyahu’s opposition to Palestinian statehood in any form. – AFP