“As if to encourage continued conflict, some of this body is seeking to unilaterally recognize the Palestinian state. The rewards would be too great for Hamas terrorists, for their atrocities,” US President Donald Trump told the UN General Assembly. That is the brutal core of this week in New York: a feel-good rush to recognize Palestine, while Hamas still holds hostages and fires at Israeli cities.
Western leaders insist their move does not whitewash October 7. “Recognizing Palestine does not diminish the gravity of the October 7 attack,” French President Emmanuel Macron said, defending recognition as part of a broader political track. The United Kingdom framed its decision as a bid to “keep alive the possibility of peace,” with Prime Minister Keir Starmer adding, “This is not a reward for Hamas because it means Hamas can have no future, no role in government, no role in security.”
Canada said its stance is rooted in decades of backing a two-state solution, and Australia declared recognition “effective today,” citing Palestinians’ “long-held aspirations.”
Jerusalem's response
Jerusalem’s answer has been equally clear. “I have a clear message to those leaders who recognize a Palestinian state after the horrific massacre of October 7: You are giving a huge reward to terrorism,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “It will not happen. A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River.”
Italy, notably, offered the only responsible sequencing among new statements: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Rome would recognize a Palestinian state “only if all Israeli hostages are released and [Hamas] is excluded from any government role.”
That should be the baseline for any state serious about peace.
The UN’s relief chief called the situation in Gaza “a famine.” But moral seriousness requires two sentences that many UN delegates still refuse to say plainly. First, the International Committee of the Red Cross must declare: “All hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally,” and until then, “the ICRC must be granted access to all the hostages… access that has been withheld so far.”
Second, demilitarization is non-negotiable. Recognition absent hostages, absent disarmament, is symbolism without safety.
There was one surprising note in New York: Indonesia. President Prabowo Subianto told the UN that Indonesia would recognize Israel “immediately,” once Israel recognizes Palestinian statehood, and he paired that with a pledge to support “all guarantees for [Israel’s] security.”
He even closed with “Shalom.” If Muslim-majority powers want to play a constructive role, this is the direction: condition political steps on security for Israelis, a real end to Hamas rule, and help enforce a post-war order on the ground.
Trump’s message and Macron’s rebuttal capture the current split. Trump warned that recognitions “reward… horrible atrocities.” Macron said recognition should be part of a path to end the war, not seen as condoning terror. Both positions can be reconciled by sequence and conditions: free every hostage, exclude Hamas from governance, build a verifiable security regime, and only then translate symbolism into sovereignty.
Netanyahu must now rise to the moment. For too long, he has waited while others set the timetable. Waiting let London, Ottawa, and Canberra define the debate. It ceded diplomatic oxygen to gestures that feel good in New York but change nothing in Sderot. Ahead of his speech and his meeting with Trump, he needs to put specifics on the table.
Hostages, first, by design: Embrace Italy’s standard and make it Israel’s diplomatic litmus test: no international political upgrades without the release of all hostages and the exclusion of Hamas from any future governance.
A day-after blueprint: Invite willing Arab partners to help establish an interim civilian administration in Gaza and a policing force under clear benchmarks. As for annexation, Trump’s team, according to multiple reports, has pressed Arab partners on a plan that ends the war, frees hostages, and bars annexation.
To UN delegates who say recognition is about “reviving hope,” the answer is simple: tie hope to behavior. Keir Starmer himself said a two-state solution “means Hamas can have no future, no role in government, no role in security.” Hold him to his words. Follow Italy’s conditionality.
Netanyahu should stop waiting, speak to the room, and lead with a plan that puts the captives first, replaces Hamas with accountable governance, and protects civilians on both sides. Trump’s backing will help. So will allies willing to pair their recognition with real conditions.