Sep 25, 2026 · 59 min
Netanyahu’s UN speech tests the limits of international accountability
Democracy Now! 2026-09-25 Friday
The episode connects protests over Gaza, threats against the International Criminal Court, and Biden-era policy choices to a broader fight over impunity and U.S. responsibility.
- 1Protests against Netanyahu in New York reflect growing opposition to U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza.
- 2The Hague Group seeks coordinated action as Trump attacks the International Criminal Court and its partners.
- 3Akbar Shahid Ahmed argues Biden-era decisions entrenched policies that Trump later intensified while suppressing internal dissent.
Don't miss
Akbar Shahid Ahmed lays out the argument that Biden-era continuity on Israel and Gaza helped create the conditions for later escalation under Trump.
The brief
Netanyahu’s defiant U.N. speech becomes the episode’s entry point into protests in New York, Israeli policy toward Palestinians, and the widening challenge to U.S. support for the war in Gaza.
Daniel Levy argues that the crisis cannot be reduced to Netanyahu personally, pointing instead to deeper Israeli policies, settler violence, and warnings about ethnic cleansing and genocide under international law.
The Hague Group presents a counterpoint to attacks on the International Criminal Court: South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola describes efforts to move governments from complicity toward compliance and accountability.
Akbar Shahid Ahmed argues that Biden administration decisions established practices later intensified by Trump, while official denials and internal pressure narrowed dissent over Gaza policy.
The final interview traces how Kamala Harris’s campaign and Democratic leaders treated Palestinian-American and uncommitted Democrats, raising questions about bipartisan continuity and the consequences for U.S. policy.
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