Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, has dismissed the United Nations’ push for Palestine statehood as a ‘charade,’ vowing to take ‘consequences’ against any countries that recognize Palestine. Danon, speaking to reporters at the U.N. headquarters, confirmed that Israel would boycott the upcoming General Assembly meeting on the question of Palestine, warning that nations moving toward formal recognition of a Palestinian state would face repercussions. ‘We will not participate in this charade. We will not enter the GA Hall, and we will not take part,’ Danon stated.
France, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom have joined a growing list of countries recognizing Palestine as a state, despite Israel’s warnings. France has become the first major Western nuclear power and a permanent U.N. Security Council member from the G7 to formally recognize Palestine. Australia, Canada, and the UK announced their support on Sunday, while Norway, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland have done so in recent months. These nations cited Israeli settlement expansion and settler violence as justification for their recognition.
Danon accused these countries of supporting terrorism rather than promoting peace, saying, ‘They feel they are doing something, but they are not promoting peace. On the contrary, they are supporting terrorism,’ and warned that ‘there will be consequences for that.’ Although Danon did not specify the nature of these consequences, he indicated that it could include Israel extending its rule to parts of the West Bank. He added that the response to these recognition moves is a ‘discussion for the government’ following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned meeting with President Donald Trump on September 2, 29.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron emphasized that ‘nothing justifies the ongoing war in Gaza,’ and that ‘everything compels us to definitively end it.’ Macron also stated that ‘the time has come to no longer talk about the existence of Israel — it’s self-evident. The time has come to do justice to the Palestinians, to recognize the state of Palestine.’ ‘We must do this to save lives,’ he added.
Meanwhile, Hamas has reportedly drafted a letter to President Donald Trump, seeking a 60-day cease-fire in exchange for the release of half of the hostages still in captivity, according to Fox News. Trump, who has grown increasingly frustrated with the stalled peace effort that has left over 40 Israelis at the hands of Hamas for nearly two years, is planning to meet with a group of Arab leaders on Tuesday, where he is expected to press Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza.