At the UNGA, Israel’s top U.S. diplomat defended the Gaza campaign, vowed hostages will only be freed through military pressure, and warned Europe against rewarding Hamas with unilateral recognition.
As Israel’s campaign in Gaza City intensifies, Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s envoy to Washington, laid out Jerusalem’s vision: “Victory is a Gaza free of Hamas, demilitarized, our hostages home, and Israel’s security in Israeli hands—forever.”
Speaking to PBS’s Nick Schifrin, Leiter stressed that Israel’s war is not against Gazans but against Hamas terrorists who still hold 48 hostages, 20 believed alive. He detailed Israel’s five objectives: defeating Hamas, demilitarizing Gaza, bringing home every hostage, ensuring Israel alone controls its security, and rebuilding Gaza under an international consortium — not as “a terrorist infrastructure, but a civil society.”
Responding to criticism over the length of the campaign, Leiter emphasized the IDF’s progress: from degrading 30 Hamas battalions down to four or five and retaking 75% of the Strip. “It could end tomorrow if Hamas releases our hostages and lays down its weapons,” he said, rejecting calls for Israel to relent.
On hostages, he was unequivocal: “Without military pressure, there would have been no ceasefire, no negotiations, and no releases. Military pressure works.”
Leiter also addressed mounting European pressure. France and Saudi Arabia are planning a UNGA conference to unilaterally declare Palestinian statehood. Leiter called this dangerous hypocrisy: “If France, with its bloody history of genocide in Africa, acts unilaterally, Israel will act unilaterally as well.”
Pressed on what that could mean, Leiter signaled that annexing the Jordan Valley is on the table: “It’s high time Israel establishes its eastern border at the Jordan River. Eighty-five to ninety percent of Israelis support it. Politically and militarily, it’s essential. We will not be reduced to a nine-mile-wide state.”
Leiter acknowledged the risk of temporary isolation but insisted the priority is clear: “If we must endure isolation, we’ve done it before. What matters is victory and security.”
For Israel, the message from Washington was unambiguous: no unilateral Palestinian state, no surrender to Hamas, and secure borders drawn on Israel’s terms.
