From Jerusalem to New York: Netanyahu’s 9/11 Analogy at the UN

Seeking to frame the conflict in terms familiar to a Western audience, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew a direct and controversial analogy between the threat he faces and the September 11 attacks. “Giving the Palestinians a state one mile from Jerusalem after October 7 is like giving al-Qaeda a state one mile from New York City after September 11,” he argued.
This comparison was the emotional core of his justification for rejecting the two-state solution, which he labeled “sheer madness.” He used the powerful memory of 9/11 to portray Palestinian statehood not as a political resolution but as an existential threat.
The analogy, however, was delivered to a mostly empty room. A mass walkout by over 100 diplomats suggested that the international community largely rejects this framing, viewing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a lens of occupation and self-determination rather than a simple parallel to the global war on terror.
Despite the diplomatic rebuke, the use of the 9/11 comparison highlights Netanyahu’s strategy of aligning his cause with America’s historical trauma in a bid to maintain support and justify his hardline military and political stance.