Israel’s Fight is Civilization’s Fight

Weakening Israel emboldens extremism everywhere. Responsible nations must stand tall against pressure and lies.

On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last week, I was privileged to participate in several high-level meetings with world leaders. One urgent point we advanced was this: recognizing a Palestinian state at this stage is misguided and dangerous. It does not comply with the requirements of the Montevideo Convention, the foundation of international law on statehood. It rewards terrorism. It applies a double standard to Israel that no other sovereign nation has ever been asked to endure. Most of all, it harms Palestinians themselves. For those who genuinely long for peace, premature recognition strengthens extremist forces and prolongs suffering rather than alleviating it.

What became clear from dozens of meetings we have held in recent days, and from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s powerful speech before the General Assembly, is that many of the countries moving toward recognition know the genocide claim against Israel is false. They know it, yet they are intimidated by media pressure, by their own extremist populations, and by political expedience. Under this pressure, they buckle. The damage is profound: to Israel, to the credibility of the United Nations, to the prospects of Palestinian statehood rooted in peace, and to global stability.

This reality stands in sharp contrast to what I experienced the previous week in Washington. There, in meetings with members of Congress from both parties, I encountered leaders who understand Israel’s struggle not as a parochial cause but as a fight that concerns all decent nations. They see it as a battle against extremism, terrorism, antisemitism, and the corrosion of society itself. These legislators recognize that Israel’s fight is civilization’s fight.

Israel’s fight is not parochial. It is civilization’s fight against extremism, terrorism, and antisemitism.  Weakening Israel emboldens those forces everywhere.

I am deeply grateful for these allies in Congress, the President of the United States, as well as for the handful of nations that continue to support Israel at the United Nations, often at significant political cost. Their courage and moral clarity light a path that others should follow.

The issue is not whether Palestinians deserve dignity and self-determination. They do. The real question is whether rewarding violence, bypassing negotiations, and eroding international standards brings that goal any closer. It does not.

Israel’s fight is a fight for fairness, decency, and justice. Weakening Israel emboldens extremism everywhere. The United Nations should know better. The world must demand better. Now is the time for responsible nations to stand firm, reject intimidation, and commit to policies that strengthen peace rather than sabotage it.