Palestine: Gazans 'terrified' by recent nuclear threat, will TPNW states respond?

Palestinian officials respond to Israeli nuclear "option" at UN nuclear ban treaty meeting.

A simulation of blast damage and fallout from a nuclear attack on Gaza. (Credit: Outrider, NUKEMAP)

On International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Spoiler Alert spoke to Palestine’s Mission to the UN in New York about the effect of the recent nuclear threat leveled at Gaza by an Israeli Minister.

In an exclusive interview with Spoiler Alert, Qais Kasabri, Counsellor, Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, explained that Palestine’s population is “enduring an aggression of mass killing and destruction where no place is safe anymore”.  Mr Kasabri described the effect of the nuclear threat:

"The Palestinian People, specifically those who live in the open air prison besieged in Gaza for more than 17 years, are terrified by recent threats made by an Israeli minister to use nuclear weapons against them in Gaza, because they know the capability of the Israeli Occupation forces and its war machine to perpetrate the most atrocious war crimes and crimes against humanity”

Qais Kasabri, of the Palestine Mission, speaks to journalists inside the UN during the Second Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW (Credit: Dr Becky Alexis-Martin for Lex International's Spoiler Alert)

Earlier today Mr Kasabri addressed states and civil society attendees at the global meet-up for the nuclear ban treaty.  His statement expressed Palestine’s “categorical rejection” of any threat to use nuclear weapons, including the recent threats “by an extremist official in the Israeli occupation government”.  Highlighting Palestine’s support for global disarmament, he continued, “The only solution to eliminate the danger and threat posed by nuclear weapons is for them to be completely eliminated.” Mr. Kasabri’s statement drew uncharacteristic applause from assembled delegates and members of civil society in the chamber.

The first meeting of the TPNW, in June 2022, received criticism for not explicitly calling Russia out for its nuclear threats toward Ukraine and its allies. However, neither of these countries are states parties to the treaty.  In the case of Palestine, things are different: Palestine has played an active and progressive role in the process that led to the adoption of the TPNW in 2017 and was one of the first states to ratify the treaty.  

Will the treaty’s 69 States Parties condemn an explicit nuclear threat that has been made against a State Party to the treaty? [Spoiler Alert: having talked to diplomats working on the outcome document, we’re not holding our breath]

The threat was made on 5 November by Israel’s Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu, who responded to a question of whether Israel should use “some kind of atomic bomb” on Gaza to “kill everyone”, by saying that nuclear weapons were “one option.” Israel has never officially admitted to owning nuclear weapons and, following the comments, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspended Eliyahu from cabinet meetings.

Spoiler Alert approached the Israeli Government for its reaction to the statements made by Palestine, but no response was provided by publication time. We will update this article with any response that is received.

Later in the week, we hope to cover the nuclear dimension of the threats faced by Ukraine’s population.