Sa’ar rejects claim of global consensus against Israel, says UN majority cannot dictate policy

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar acknowledged Israel's diplomatic minority at the UN but rejected the notion of a global consensus against it, arguing that Israel must base existential decisions on its own interests rather than international majority views. He cited past concessions like the Oslo Accords and Gaza withdrawal as yielding no diplomatic credit, and criticized Turkey and Jordan for their stances.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar acknowledged that Israel currently finds itself in a diplomatic minority at the United Nations but rejected the characterization that there is a broad international "consensus" against Israel. Speaking to The Jerusalem Post during the ongoing 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Sa’ar said Israel had been in a minority position at the UN for decades. "We were in the minority a year ago. We were in the minority two years ago, ten years ago, twenty years ago, and forty years ago," Sa’ar said. Sa’ar argued that Israel cannot base its policy regarding its existential interests on the international consensus or majority view, but rather on its own existential interests. He cited the Oslo Accords, the establishment of the Palestinian Authority, and Israel's 2005 unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip as examples of far-reaching Israeli steps that did not produce expected diplomatic benefits. Sa’ar said Israel had reached a point where it could no longer continue making concessions simply because of international pressure. He criticized Turkey under Erdogan's leadership for pursuing a policy hostile toward Israel in the diplomatic, economic, and legal spheres, and pointed to Turkey's relationship with Hamas as a significant concern. Sa’ar also dismissed Jordanian moralizing on the Palestinian issue, referencing Jordan's 1988 decision to sever legal and administrative ties with the West Bank, arguing that move deprived many people of citizenship and associated rights.