At the heart of Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of a Palestinian state is the security of Jerusalem. “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,” he declared at the UN, explicitly linking the two issues.
This framing elevates the debate from a matter of borders and sovereignty to an existential battle for Israel’s capital. It portrays any Palestinian state as an inherent and immediate military threat to the city’s very existence, a narrative designed to make the concept unthinkable for his supporters.
This focus on Jerusalem is a powerful rallying cry in Israeli domestic politics and resonates with many Jewish people globally. It taps into deep historical, religious, and security sensitivities surrounding the city.
However, for the 157 nations that recognize Palestine, the vision is typically one of a shared or divided capital (East Jerusalem for Palestine), in line with decades of international resolutions. Netanyahu’s all-or-nothing framing is a complete rejection of this compromise, casting the battle for Jerusalem as a zero-sum game that he is determined not to lose.