Trump: Recognizing Palestinian statehood is ‘a reward to Hamas’
US President Donald Trump delivered his first address to the United Nations General Assembly on Monday since returning to the White House, using the platform to sharply criticize Western nations that have recently recognized a Palestinian state.
“Recognizing a Palestinian state is giving a prize to Hamas terrorists,” Trump declared, singling out France and its allies. He argued that the growing wave of recognitions amounted to submitting to Hamas’s “ransom demands,” rewarding the group, and fueling conflict.
The president accused Hamas of rejecting repeated opportunities for peace. After briefly joking about a malfunctioning teleprompter, he turned his criticism toward the UN itself. “In seven months, I ended seven wars that the organization should have finished,” he said, dismissing the UN’s efforts as “empty words” incapable of resolving conflicts.
Trump also claimed credit for “completely” dismantling Iran’s nuclear program through strikes on facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. He asserted that he had ended a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran, adding: “Today, most of the Iranian military leaders are no longer with us; they are dead.”
On Gaza, Trump said he was “deeply involved” in negotiations to halt the war but blamed Hamas for rejecting “reasonable” proposals. He reiterated his belief that 38 of the 48 hostages held in Gaza are already dead and urged for their immediate release. “We don’t want to get them back two by two, then two more, then three more,” he said. “We want all of them now.”
Trump’s remarks come as international pressure on Israel intensifies, following several Western countries’ formal recognition of Palestine in recent days.
