Ahead of the United Nations General Assembly’s September 23 discussion of the Palestinian State resolution, Counselor of the US Mission to the U.N., Morgan Ortagus, outlined why the US is rejecting the move to establish a Palestinian state.
Ortagus said American opposition to the resolution “should come as no surprise.” She argued the text fails to condemn Hamas or affirm Israel’s right to defend itself, while advancing “false narratives benefiting Hamas” that have gained traction in the Council. Ortagus said Council members deliberately pushed a resolution designed to trigger a US veto, “extending Hamas terrorists and those who fund them a lifeline.”
She reminded delegates that Hamas launched the war with the October 7, 2023, massacre and mass abductions, “the worst killing and kidnapping of Jews since the Holocaust.” Hamas, she said, openly celebrates those atrocities and vows to repeat them. “The lives of Gaza’s civilians in harm’s way are mere tools in the project to destroy Israel,” she noted.
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Ortagus highlighted that 48 hostages remain in captivity “in a living hell” after 713 days. She cited videos showing starvation and testimonies of freed hostages who endured torture and sexual assault. “This war could end today if Hamas freed the hostages and laid down its arms,” she said, stressing that Israel has accepted terms to end the conflict while Hamas continues to refuse.
The resolution’s call for an “immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire,” she added, would leave Hamas free to plan future October 7-style massacres. “This resolution draws a dangerous false equivalence between Israel and Hamas. There can be no equating the two. Full stop.” She also faulted the text for treating the hostages as “a mere afterthought,” insisting President Trump and the United States demand their release without delay.
A day later, Jonathan Shrier, Acting US Representative to the UN Economic and Social Council, reinforced the administration’s stance. He said the Palestinian Authority and the PLO “have failed to live up to their commitments under the Oslo Accords” and cannot be considered credible peace partners.
Shrier pointed to the Palestinian Authority’s ongoing “pay for slay” stipends to terrorists and their families, calling the practice “heinous” and contrary to both US law and Palestinian commitments to renounce violence. He noted that the Authority has not unequivocally condemned terrorism, including the October 7 massacre, nor the September 8 Ramot bus stop attack in Jerusalem that killed six Israelis.
“Indirect condemnation or statements that reject the targeting of Israeli civilians while simultaneously accusing Israel of genocide do not meet a reasonable standard,” Shrier said. He also criticized the Authority’s legal campaigns at the ICC and ICJ, and its push for unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, saying those actions emboldened Hamas to hold hostages and undermined ceasefire talks.
Shrier concluded that while Washington remains open to renewed engagement, it will only be possible if the Palestinian leadership fulfills its obligations and takes “concrete steps toward compromise and peaceful coexistence with Israel.”