Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Friday (September 26, 2025) in an angry U.N. address to block a Palestinian state, accusing European leaders of pushing his country into “national suicide” and rewarding Hamas.Mr. Netanyahu, in a defiant speech he said was 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 France, Britain and other Western powers recognised a state of Palestine, Mr. Netanyahu said that they had sent “a very clear message that murdering Jews pays off”.Netanyahu: We hammered Houthis, Hamas, Hezbollah and Assad’s arms
“Israel will not allow you to shove a terrorist state down our throats,” Mr. 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,” he said.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 is a rival of Hamas and condemned the attack as well as antisemitism in his own address on Thursday (September 25, 2025), which he delivered virtually after the United States refused him a visa.Mr. Netanyahu — who has opposed a Palestinian state for decades — mocked Western support for Mr. Abbas and called the Palestinian Authority “corrupt to the core”.But Mr. 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.Mr. Trump, normally a staunch ally of Mr. Netanyahu, has warned against annexation as he pitches a peace plan on Gaza that would include the disarmament of Hamas.Netanyahu: Israel is feeding, not starving Gaza civilians
