New York: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a combative defense of his government’s military actions at the United Nations on Thursday, as dozens of delegates walked out of the General Assembly hall and protesters gathered outside the UN headquarters.
The speech came just weeks before Israel’s Oct. 27 general election, with Netanyahu facing mounting criticism over the war in Gaza and growing diplomatic pressure on Israel. His roughly 40-minute address was carried live during prime time on Israel’s four main television networks.
As Netanyahu began speaking, officials from several delegations left the chamber. Netanyahu called those who walked out “moral cowards,” while supporters in the gallery chanted in Hebrew, “The people of Israel live.”
“You tried to silence me. Well, you can’t silence me. You can’t silence the truth,” Netanyahu said, directing his remarks at New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani has repeatedly called Netanyahu a war criminal and had campaigned on seeking his arrest under an International Criminal Court warrant if he visited New York. He later acknowledged that New York City does not have independent legal authority to enforce the warrant and called on the federal government to act instead.
Mamdani this week described Netanyahu as the “architect” of what he called a genocide against Palestinians.
Netanyahu rejected the accusation.
“Israel didn’t commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide,” he said.
JUST IN: 🇮🇱🇺🇳 Benjamin Netanyahu called everyone who walked out of the UN hall COWARDS:
“To all the cowards who want to leave, please do so now." pic.twitter.com/ld4nUJvPj4
— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) September 24, 2026
In a statement responding to the speech, Mamdani accused Netanyahu of repeating what he called baseless claims intended to “sanitize” Israel’s conduct in Gaza. He also pointed to the ICC arrest warrant against the Israeli prime minister, which alleges war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel rejects the allegations.
Netanyahu turns UN speech into political message
With Israel’s election less than five weeks away, Netanyahu used much of the address to portray the country as fighting threats on multiple fronts.
He highlighted Israel’s confrontation with Iran and Iran-backed groups and praised President Donald Trump as Israel’s strongest international partner.
“We will continue to defend our state. We will continue to win because we have no other choice,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu also used visual props, as he has done during previous U.N. appearances. He held up a pager while referring to an Israeli operation targeting Hezbollah members in Lebanon and displayed a Starlink satellite internet receiver, saying he would leave it for Iran’s delegation.
He said Iranians would eventually be able to use social media freely and predicted that Iran’s government would ultimately be toppled by its own people.
Ahead of the speech, Netanyahu’s office said Israel had placed 500 billboards and dozens of trucks carrying pro-Israel and anti-Iran messages around Manhattan. The campaign focused on the Iranian threat and the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Criticism from Western allies
Netanyahu also lashed out at Britain, France and Canada after the three countries imposed sanctions earlier this month targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
He accused Western European leaders of giving in to what he described as “antisemitic mobs” and said they had chosen “weakness” and “appeasement.”
Netanyahu also sought to minimize violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, describing those responsible as a relatively small group of young people.
He said he opposed vigilantism and insisted Israel was “a country of law.”
Israel has faced increasing diplomatic pressure over its conduct of the Gaza war, while Netanyahu remains subject to an ICC arrest warrant issued in 2024.
Protests outside UN headquarters
The tensions inside the General Assembly were mirrored on the streets of New York, where hundreds of protesters gathered near the UN.
Demonstrators chanted slogans including “Stop arming Israel, let Gaza live” and “Stop arming Israel, let Iran live.” Police detained protesters after some blocked traffic near the U.N. headquarters.
Netanyahu’s New York visit was notably brief and did not include a scheduled meeting with Trump. Still, he repeatedly praised the US president during his address, thanking him for what he called his “bold leadership.”
The address underscored the widening divide over Israel’s military campaign and Netanyahu’s increasingly confrontational relationship with critics at home and abroad, as he seeks another term as Israel’s prime minister.
