Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address at the U.N. General Assembly presented a dual narrative, portraying Israel as a nation under constant threat while also boasting about its aggressive military actions against Palestinian, Iranian, and Lebanese populations.
"Tyrants the world over seek to threaten us. They seek to undermine our resolve with their campaign of lies," Netanyahu stated to world leaders. "But ultimately, as on the military battlefield, the Jewish people will prevail."
Netanyahu defended Israel’s actions in Gaza, which human rights groups, U.N. experts, and scholars have characterized as genocide. He rejected these accusations, stating, "Accusing Israel of genocide is the greatest lie of the century. Israel didn’t commit genocide, Israel prevented genocide." Despite a previous ceasefire agreement, airstrikes continue to cause civilian casualties in Gaza, and humanitarian aid remains largely blocked.
The prime minister also addressed the escalating settler violence in the West Bank, an issue that has led to sanctions from the U.K., France, and Canada. Netanyahu dismissed these concerns and rejected claims of colonialism in the territory, which the International Court of Justice has ruled is being illegally occupied. He characterized the perpetrators as "a handful of young juvenile delinquents" engaging in isolated incidents, downplaying a situation that U.N. experts and an Israeli human rights group have described as systematic violence by settlers, security forces, and government officials.
Netanyahu also referenced a coordinated attack in 2024 involving exploding pagers in Lebanon, which Israel stated targeted Hezbollah but also resulted in civilian casualties, including children, and thousands of injuries. Holding up a pager, he remarked, "Well I can tell you this: Hezbollah certainly remembers them."
The speech occurred as a significant number of delegations reportedly left the hall. This departure followed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s virtual remarks, necessitated by a U.S. visa denial. Netanyahu referred to those who left as "moral cowards," while asserting Israel’s role in defending against a nuclear Iran.
Netanyahu also criticized the media and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom he labeled an antisemite. Mamdani responded by posting a video of himself planting an olive tree with Palestinian families from Gaza.
Outside the U.N. headquarters, hundreds of demonstrators, including Jewish New Yorkers, rabbis, elected officials, and celebrities, protested Netanyahu's visit. Several individuals, including actress Susan Sarandon and "Hacks" star Hannah Einbinder, were detained by police. Einbinder stated, "As a Jew, as an American, and as a human it is my moral responsibility to stand against the genocide of Palestinians by the Israeli government."
Netanyahu dismissed the protesters as "phony" and questioned their silence regarding alleged Iranian actions against its own citizens. He also acknowledged and thanked President Donald Trump for his support in confronting Iran, describing it as "one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make."