Trump criticises moves to recognise Palestinian state

NEW YORK/CAIRO/GAZA - US President Donald Trump on Tuesday condemned moves by Western powers to recognise a Palestinian state, saying such steps would reward "horrible atrocities" by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump said world powers should focus instead on securing the release of hostages held in Gaza, nearly two years after Hamas seized them in the deadly attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war.

France, Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal have all recognised a Palestinian state in the past two days.

Their moves were borne out of frustration with Israel over its offensive in Gaza and intended to promote a two-state solution, but have angered Israel and its close ally the United States.

"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," Trump said in his speech at the UN.

"This would be a reward for these horrible atrocities."

"Instead of giving in to Hamas' ransom demands, those who want peace should be united with one message - release the hostages now, just release the hostages," he said.

TRUMP DUE TO MEET LEADERS FROM MUSLIM-MAJORITY COUNTRIES

Trump was due to meet leaders and officials from multiple Muslim-majority countries - Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan - on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Gaza.

In addition to freeing hostages and ending the war, Trump is expected to discuss US plans around an Israeli withdrawal and post-war governance in Gaza, without Hamas involvement, according to Axios.

Washington wants Arab and Muslim countries to agree to send military forces to Gaza to enable Israel's withdrawal and to secure funding for transition and rebuilding programs, Axios reported.

Israel has drawn global condemnation over its military conduct in Gaza, where more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health authorities.

In recent weeks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has begun a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City with few prospects for a ceasefire.

But Washington remains Israel's staunchest ally.

It and Israel boycotted a summit in New York on Monday convened by France and Saudi Arabia where dozens of world leaders gathered at the United Nations to embrace a Palestinian state.

No matter how many countries recognize Palestinian independence, full U.N. membership would require approval by the Security Council, where the United States has a veto that it frequently uses to oppose resolutions that are critical of Israel.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres backed the moves for recognition while speaking at the Security Council later on Tuesday.

"This is the clearest path to a two-State solution: Israel and an independent, sovereign, democratic, viable and contiguous State of Palestine," he said. "We must seize this momentum."

TWO-STATE SOLUTION IS ALL BUT DEAD

The two-state solution - the existence of both Israel and a Palestinian state - was the bedrock of the US-backed peace process ushered in by the 1993 Oslo Accords, but the process has all but died.

The most right-wing government in Israel's history has declared there will be no Palestinian state as it pushes on with its fight against militant group Hamas in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.

It wants Hamas to hand over the last hostages it seized in the 2023 attack on Israel.

Pressing on with its Gaza City offensive to eliminate Hamas in Gaza, Israel's military pushed deeper towards the most populated areas of Gaza City on Tuesday.

Local health authorities said Israeli fire on Tuesday killed at least 22 people across the Gaza Strip, 18 of them in Gaza City, and the Gaza health ministry said hospitals in the enclave would run out of fuel in the coming few days, endangering lives.

A United Nations commission said in a report on Tuesday that the Israeli government had shown a clear intent to establish permanent control over Gaza and to ensure a Jewish majority in the occupied West Bank.

The U.N. report details Israeli authorities' extensive, systematic demolition of civilian infrastructure in Gaza's corridors and buffer zone - resulting in Israel expanding control to 75% of the Gaza Strip by July this year.

The Israeli mission in Geneva dismissed the report's findings.