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President Herzog addresses audience at The Royal Institute of International Affairs

Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs

President Herzog: "Unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state will not free one hostage, will not feed one Palestinian, and will only embolden Hamas and reward terror."

Type: Press Releases
Topic: Foreign Policy, Terrorism
Secondary topic: Swords of Iron
Publish Date: 11.09.2025

(Communicated by the President's Spokesperson)

President Isaac Herzog yesterday (Wednesday, 10 September 2025), addressed an audience of senior policy figures, opinion leaders and journalists, at Chatham House - The Royal Institute of International Affairs, one of the world's most influential policy forums, in a wide-ranging conversation with the institute's Director, Bronwen Maddox.

The President opened the discussion by holding up a photograph of two Israeli twin brothers, Gali and Ziv Berman, who marking their 28th birthday in captivity in Gaza. The musicians from Kibbutz Kfar Aza were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7.

The President said: "This is Gali and Ziv. Their fate is unknown. They, and 46 other innocent hostages, are held in brutal captivity. The key to changing the entire future of the region - the only way to open the door to peace - is to bring the hostages home."

President Herzog stressed that Israel has accepted every serious proposal put forward by mediators - including the United States, Egypt, and Qatar - but Hamas has repeatedly refused or stalled.

"Israel is ready today for a full hostage deal and a ceasefire. But for that to happen, Hamas must simply say 'yes.' One rejection from a single Hamas leader is enough to block progress. That is the obstacle."

Warning against recognition of a Palestinian state, the President noted: "Unilateral recognition will not free one hostage, will not feed one Palestinian, and will only embolden Hamas and reward terror. Friends and allies can disagree, but such a step would dangerously distort the path to real peace."

He underlined that Israel seeks a peaceful future with the Palestinians, but the day after must mean Gaza without Hamas.

On aid and Gaza, President Herzog said, "In the past 24 hours alone, over 600 trucks of food and medicine entered Gaza, alongside air drops and water supplies. Prices of food are dropping sharply because aid is flowing. The tragedy is that Hamas hijacks aid for profit and for war - selling it back to the people at triple the price."

He called for stronger international mechanisms to bypass Hamas and ensure aid reaches families directly.

He stressed, "The big mistake of many countries is that they are making a huge mistake about who's their friend, who's their ally, or their enemy. We are fighting here to defend the free world. Israel is at the frontier of fighting jihadist civilization. We are defending Europe. We are defending western values and the free world with the blood and the tears of our sons and daughters and families. That's what we're doing. We're fighting an aggressive, barbaric enemy that has butchered, slaughtered, burnt, raped our citizens. And then some say that 'we want Israel out.' We have not attacked seven countries. We were attacked from seven corners of the earth by ballistic missiles, by the most advanced weapons supplied by Iran to the proxies who want to eradicate us."

President Herzog concluded by reminding the audience that Israel's fight is not only for its own survival, but for shared democratic values: "We are defending Europe and the free world with the blood of our sons and daughters. Our message is simple: help us bring the hostages home, defeat Hamas, and build a future of peace."