Benjamin Netanyahu has defended Israel’s military campaigns in Iran, Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East at the UN General Assembly, confronting an audience in which dozens of delegates walked out as he took the stage.
The Israeli prime minister rejected accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. He also sought to counter growing international isolation before an Israeli election scheduled for next month, the first since the 7 October 2023 attacks.
Responding to the departures from the chamber, Netanyahu said: “If there are any other moral cowards who haven't left the hall, please do so now.”
His appearance came as Israel faces broad international condemnation over its military operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu is also subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes.
Leaders from Europe and the Middle East, including France, the U.K., Jordan, Syria, Qatar and Turkey, used at least part of their time at the UN podium to denounce Israel sharply. Netanyahu’s address focused particular criticism on Iran, while he also attacked Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Netanyahu called Erdogan a “tyrant” and accused him of supporting Hamas, the Palestinian armed group. Erdogan had told the UN on Tuesday that the injustices faced by people in Gaza and the West Bank “deeply offends the conscience of humanity”.
Netanyahu also thanked US President Donald Trump for his “bold leadership”, referring to air strikes the US and Israel jointly launched against Tehran in February. “Israel and America acted together not only to protect ourselves, but to save civilisation,” Netanyahu said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas put the opposing case to the assembly through a video link. Abbas had been denied a US entry visa and therefore did not address the gathering in person.
Abbas said Israeli policies, particularly what he described as the illegal expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, threatened “the very life and existence of the Palestinian people on their homeland”. He said Palestinians in Gaza were facing “killing, destruction, starvation and attempts at displacement, as well as a genocidal war” by the Israeli military.
The competing addresses underscored the diplomatic pressure surrounding Netanyahu’s government as it heads towards next month’s election. The prime minister is seeking to defend Israel’s conduct in its regional military operations while facing condemnation from leaders at the assembly and protests during his visit to New York City.
Actress Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder, the Emmy-winning Hacks actress, were among those detained while protesting against Netanyahu’s visit. Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier and New York City council member Chi Osse were also detained.
Netanyahu’s speech offered a forceful public response to those criticisms, though it did not remove the divisions visible in the UN hall. The election next month could determine whether he retains office after the first national vote held since the 7 October 2023 attacks.
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