Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a combative address to the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, defending Israel’s actions and attacking critics including New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Iran and several European allies.
The speech came as Netanyahu campaigns for re-election ahead of Israel’s October 27 vote. Dozens of delegates walked out of the General Assembly chamber as he began speaking, while supporters in the gallery applauded and chanted in support of Israel.
Netanyahu responded to the walkout by calling those who left “moral cowards” and telling them to leave the hall.
He also accused Mamdani of antisemitism and said many Jewish New Yorkers no longer felt safe since Mamdani became mayor. Mamdani has previously criticised Netanyahu over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and had considered whether city authorities could enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him before acknowledging that he lacked the legal authority to do so.
Mamdani later rejected Netanyahu’s accusations, saying the Israeli prime minister had repeated what he described as false claims to defend Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
Netanyahu also criticised Britain and France, accusing their governments of succumbing to what he called antisemitic pressure after the two countries imposed sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
He separately attacked Turkey and its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over Ankara’s support for Hamas. Turkish officials dismissed Netanyahu’s remarks as baseless accusations that were inconsistent with the principles of the United Nations.
Iran was another major focus of the speech, with Netanyahu describing its government as a “murderous dictatorship” and arguing that Israeli and US military action had prevented Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
He also used props during the address, including a pager associated with the 2024 attacks that targeted Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon, as well as a Starlink satellite internet device.
Outside the UN headquarters, hundreds of protesters gathered to demonstrate against Israel’s military campaign, with police detaining several demonstrators.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who was denied a US visa and could not attend the UN gathering in person, addressed the General Assembly through a recorded video message. He criticised the decision and rejected what he described as unlawful punitive measures.
Netanyahu made a brief visit to New York for the UN address and was not scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump or other senior US officials during the trip.
