West Bank Palestinians Dismiss Netanyahu's UN Address as a 'Stunt'
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank criticised Netanyahu's UN General Assembly address, calling it a failure that does little for peace.
Palestinians across the occupied West Bank have rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the United Nations General Assembly, describing it as a publicity gesture that does nothing to advance peace or stability in the region.
In Ramallah, where checkpoints in and out of the city have been closed following a Palestinian car-ramming attack that injured an Israeli reservist this week, residents on Friday voiced deep scepticism about the speech.
Ahmad al-Khateeb, a 64-year-old resident of the city, said the address was "a media stunt and something of no value to the Palestinian people or to other nations." He expressed hope that other countries would back the Palestinian cause, pointing to the solidarity shown by delegations taking part in the General Assembly.
Hassan Abu Latifa, a 60-year-old from the Qalandiya refugee camp south of Ramallah, was equally blunt. "His speech was a failure, honestly, it was a failure," he said. "He destroyed us and destroyed himself. The people are going to explode, from Netanyahu and people like him."
In his UN address on Thursday, Netanyahu called accusations that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza "the biggest lie of the century" and dismissed settler violence in the West Bank as the work of a "handful of juvenile delinquents."
Palestinians say they are increasingly exposed to unchecked violence as settlers carry out hundreds of attacks on villages and towns, burning homes, cars and olive fields. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has recorded more than 1,600 settler attacks this year.
At least 104 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers or soldiers this year, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Health Ministry. Over the same period, at least four Israelis have been killed by Palestinians.
Elsewhere in the territory, long lines of vehicles were seen waiting at the Jaba checkpoint northeast of Ramallah, underscoring the restrictions on movement that shape daily life for many residents.