Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Wednesday night to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he said he would “condemn” leaders of nations who have recently recognized Palestinian statehood.
Netanyahu is set to speak at the UNGA on Friday. Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority — the government exercising limited control over parts of the occupied West Bank, in cooperation with Israeli authorities — will speak on Thursday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at an event in Jerusalem, on Sept. 15, 2025.
Debbie Hill/AP
Hundreds of protesters gathered at the airport, waving Israeli flags and yellow banners, the latter representing the symbol adopted by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum to demand the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.
“I will condemn those leaders who, instead of condemning the murderers, the rapists, the child burners, want to give them a state in the heart of the land of Israel,” Netanyahu said. “This will not happen.”
This week, several nations including Canada, France and the U.K. officially recognized Palestinian statehood, with leaders framing the move as a response to Israel’s war in Gaza and Netanyahu’s self-professed efforts to block any two-state solution to the decades-long conflict.
The Palestinian Authority foresees a future Palestinian state comprising the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem, its borders aligned with the so-called “Green Line” recognized by the UN before the Six-Day War of 1967.
A Palestinian state is now recognized by 157 of the 193 UN member states, including 18 of 32 NATO allies.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
