Israel could ‘threaten’ Republicans’ grip on Congress

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu would have served Israel's national interests better if he had refrained from addressing the United Nations General Assembly. Jewish, Israeli and Palestinian groups rallied across Manhattan to protest the Israeli premier's presence. US peace activist Brad Lander was uncertain which of three protests he would join last week.

"Jewish New Yorkers across a significant range of opinion are out today to say we don't want war criminals in our city, that we vehemently disagree with Netanyahu's wars and the perspective he's bringing to the UN, and we want to make our voices heard. He added, "Obviously, people have different perspectives on the issue, but we're united on that." Instead of addressing the world body, Netanyahu was electioneering, campaigning for his Likud party to secure enough seats in the October election to remain in control of the Knesset – with or without partners.

As he prepared to speak, dozens of delegates left the chamber, refusing to listen to his address which was filled with lies. Netanyahu downplayed settler violence by claiming that the number of Palestinians killed by settlers is "maybe two or three." However, the UN's Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 23 Palestinians have been killed this year alone in settler attacks.

On Gaza, Netanyahu claimed Israel had conducted the “opposite of genocide” although Israel had killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and destroyed Gaza's residential areas, public facilities, and infrastructure. He did not criticise statements from fellow Israeli politicians calling for a massacre in Gaza and urging the expulsion of two million Palestinians. On the West Bank, Netanyahu rejected Western accusations that Israel’s occupation was illegitimate and referred to the territories formerly held by Britain and France although the age of occupation has been over for decades.

He claimed that leaders whose delegates left before his address had thanked Israel for “taking out Iran’s nukes.” Finally, he refused to admit that Israel's actions had alienated international public opinion, and he blamed others, including Qatar which he accused of funding "toxic media outlets like Al-Jazeera" which are critical of Israel.

He ignored the joint assessment by the United Nations, World Bank, and European Union which found that 371,888 housing units, 76.6 per cent of residences in Gaza, had been destroyed or damaged by Israel after the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. The assessment also found that rebuilding Gaza will need more than $71 billion over the next decade.

Funds are not available, particularly since rebuilt homes could be destroyed by Israeli bombs as there is no observed ceasefire or end to hostilities. As a result, Palestinian families have been forced to live in tents and war damaged buildings which places them at risk. On September 16th, a six-storey building in Gaza City collapsed, killing 21 people, including 12 children, according to the UN and Gaza Civil Defence.

Netanyahu remains determined to retain Israel’s occupation of the 58-60 per cent of Gaza the Israeli army still holds. This violates the ceasefire agreement signed in Sharm el-Sheikh in October 2025 and contradicts Trump's 20-point plan for postwar Gaza, which was signed when Israel held 53 percent of the Strip. Since then, the Israeli army has expanded its area of control.

While in New York for the UN gathering, Netanyahu was not welcomed by Israel's usual friends in Washington. Israel has created political divisions that could threaten the Republican party's hold on Congress in the November midterm elections. He had only a handful of bilateral meetings, but none with President Donald Trump or any senior administration officials who were busy with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Countering Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's statements that the Golan Heights captured from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981 remains "Syrian territory," Netanyahu said Jews have been in the Golan since the time of Moses. "You can read it in the Bible," he asserted. The UN and most of the international community consider the territory occupied Syrian land and do not recognise Israel's annexation. Netanyahu dismissed accusations of "colonialism" against Israel and attempted to deflect such allegations. While he reverted to the period when British and French colonialism flourished, he did not mention that Israel was created after the 1917 Balfour declaration pledged Britain to facilitate the creation of a Jewish national home in Palestine although Britain had no right to issue such a pledge or to encourage Jews to settle there.

"Arrogant, aggressive, and lacking vision," Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth summed up Netanyahu's UN speech. Netanyahu has long suffered from arrogance which undermines his stated vision for Israel and its friends in the US and elsewhere. A September poll found that 56 per cent of US Jewish voters were deeply concerned that Israel under Netanyahu has strengthened antisemitism and anti-Israel attitudes in that country. Therefore, he has contributed to the unwelcome rise of these racist and anti-Israeli feelings. Combined with Israel's overwhelming regional military might, his arrogance is highly dangerous. As there is no other politician who can challenge him, he knows his Likud is likely to return to power in the coming election.