Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly condemned Western countries that have recognized Palestinian statehood, accusing them of sending a message that “killing Jews pays off.”
In his most scathing speech to date to the UN General Assembly in New York, he criticized the diplomatic moves of several of Washington’s leading allies.
“The leaders of France, Britain, Australia, Canada and other countries unconditionally recognized the Palestinian state this week, following the horrors committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023 – a horror that was celebrated by almost 90 percent of the Palestinian population that day. Do you know what message the leaders who recognized the Palestinian state sent to the Palestinians this week? The message is very clear: killing Jews pays off,” Netanyahu said.
Denying reports of famine in the Palestinian enclave, Netanyahu claimed: “Israel is deliberately feeding the people of Gaza.”
Speaking about the accusations of genocide, he said: “Israel is taking more measures to reduce civilian casualties than any army in history.”
Commenting on the move by most of the audience, who walked out of the room as Netanyahu began his speech, the Israeli prime minister pointed out that “many leaders over time have buckled under pressure from biased media, radical Islamist constituencies and anti-Semitic masses.”
“There is a famous saying: “When the going gets tough, the strong rise up.’ Well, in many countries here, when the going gets tough, you give in,” Netanyahu said.
According to him, many leaders who have publicly condemned Israel’s actions have privately thanked the Israeli authorities.
“They tell me, behind closed doors, how much they appreciate Israel’s strong intelligence services, which have repeatedly prevented terrorist attacks in their capitals,” Netanyahu stressed.
He noted that most of the world no longer even remembers October 7, but that Israel “remembers it as well”.
