Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a defiant address at the United Nations on Thursday, using the platform to defend his country’s military actions while facing a walkout by dozens of delegates. As he approached the rostrum, the Prime Minister labeled the departing officials as "moral cowards," while supporters in the gallery chanted, "The people of Israel live."
During his 40-minute speech, which was broadcast live in Israel ahead of general elections in less than five weeks, Netanyahu addressed mounting international criticism. He specifically targeted New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who had previously labeled him a war criminal and accused him of overseeing a genocide. "You tried to stop me from coming here. You tried. You tried to silence me. Well, you can't silence me. You can't silence the truth," Netanyahu stated, while also falsely accusing the mayor of supporting Hamas militants. In response, Mamdani issued a statement asserting that the Prime Minister was repeating "baseless lies" to sanitize his actions and noted that Netanyahu remains the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Netanyahu also criticized Western European leaders, accusing them of succumbing to "antisemitic mobs" and "appeasement" following recent sanctions imposed by Britain, France, and Canada on Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Regarding the violence in the West Bank, he characterized the perpetrators as a small group of "juvenile delinquents" and insisted that Israel remains a "country of law." Furthermore, he accused Qatar and Turkey of spreading misinformation about Israel.
Throughout the address, the Prime Minister emphasized Israel's ongoing conflicts on seven fronts. He utilized props during his speech, including a pager to reference recent attacks on Hezbollah members in Lebanon and a Starlink satellite receiver, which he claimed he would leave for the Iranian delegation so they could "freely tell their story on social media" when the Iranian government is eventually toppled.
Outside the UN headquarters, police detained several hundred protesters who had gathered to demand an end to the arming of Israel and to call for the protection of lives in Gaza and Iran. Despite his political struggles at home, where polls suggest he may lose power, Netanyahu praised U.S. President Donald Trump for his "bold leadership" and stated, "We will continue to win because we have no other choice."
