The Elders Warn Palestine Faces Potential Disappearance

Former Irish President Mary Robinson and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, representing the international group The Elders, warned that the government of Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting to make Palestine disappear physically, economically, culturally, and politically. Following a regional tour of Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, and the occupied Palestinian territories, the leaders identified systemic settler violence and settlement expansion as primary drivers of this decline.

During a press conference in Jerusalem, Robinson characterized settler violence in the West Bank as systemic rather than individual acts of terrorism. She urged the European Union to suspend the trade component of its association agreement with Israel and ban products from Israeli settlements, expressing shame over the union's failure to impose sanctions. Clark argued that recognizing Palestinian statehood is the only viable path toward a two-state solution, warning that Palestine will disappear if annexation continues.

In a meeting with the visitors, Israeli President Isaac Herzog rejected their criticism as one-sided. Herzog emphasized the trauma of the Israeli people since October 7 and criticized international silence regarding sexual violence. These diplomatic tensions coincided with a domestic political shift in Israel, as the Knesset voted to dissolve itself on Friday to prepare for elections on October 27 following the passage of several contentious bills.