Netanyahu uses UN platform to attack Iran, allies and domestic critics

Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday with a speech designed to wound. He attacked Iran's leadership, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and the governments of Turkey, France, and the United Kingdom—countries that have grown vocal in their criticism of Israeli military operations. The moment he began speaking, dozens of delegates from around the world stood and walked out of the chamber, some jeering as they left. Netanyahu's response was sharp: "If there are any other moral cowards who haven't left this hall, please do so now."

The Israeli prime minister framed the conflict in sweeping terms. Israel, he said, is fighting a seven-front war across Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Yemen's Houthis, and militias in Iraq. He defended the military strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities that took place in February, calling the decision "one of the easiest" he has made as prime minister. "If I had not done it, we'd all be dead," he said. He invoked his brother Yonatan, killed during Operation Entebbe in 1976, repeating the phrase: "We are going to win. We have no other choice."

The speech was a direct rebuttal to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who had addressed the assembly the day before. Pezeshkian had pointed to what he called a double standard: "The nuclear weapon is in Israel, but the inspectors are in Iran. Israel kills, but Iran is subject to sanctions." Netanyahu offered no response to that framing, only reassertion of Israeli resolve.

His attacks on allied nations were pointed and personal. He accused Turkey of spreading anti-Semitic lies, drawing a sharp rebuke from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office. A statement from the Turkish presidency noted that Netanyahu's use of the UN platform was incompatible with the ideals the organization represents, and it referenced the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Erdogan himself had addressed the assembly days earlier, describing Gaza as "the most inhumane and shameful concentration camp of our time" and characterizing Israeli actions as reflecting a "genocidal mindset."

Britain and France, historic partners of Israel, also found themselves in Netanyahu's crosshairs. Both countries have recently imposed limited sanctions on Israeli exports from the occupied West Bank and have become increasingly critical of Israeli military conduct. Netanyahu mocked their position: "They accuse Israel, tiny Israel, of colonialism. And who's accusing us? Among them are people in Britain and in France. For God's sakes, they invented the term."

Mayor Mamdani, who had said he would push for Netanyahu's arrest during the visit, was singled out for particular scorn. Netanyahu called him an "anti-Semitic mayor of New York" and said: "Mr Mamdani, you tried to stop me from coming here. You tried to silence me. Well, you can't silence me." Mamdani responded by calling the accusations "baseless lies" meant to sanitize what he characterized as genocide. Outside the UN, activists from Jewish Voice for Peace protested Netanyahu's presence, with the group's communications director, Sonya Meyerson-Knox, telling reporters that "solidarity with Palestinian freedom has never been greater."

Netanyahu's only warm words were reserved for U.S. President Donald Trump. "In this battle against the barbarians, we've had no greater partner than President Trump," he said, as the American delegation applauded. He noted that pilots from both countries had flown joint missions over Iranian airspace and that the two nations had worked together on efforts to retrieve remaining hostages from Gaza. The contrast was stark: while Netanyahu was welcomed at the UN despite an ICC warrant for his arrest, the Trump administration denied a visa to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who delivered his remarks through a prerecorded video from Ramallah.

Analysts noted that Netanyahu's speech, while delivered to an international audience, was aimed primarily at voters back home. Israel faces elections on October 27, and Netanyahu is in a tight race to retain power. He is making only a brief stop in New York before returning to Israel to campaign. The speech, one observer noted, should have been delivered at an election rally, not the United Nations—it was a message to Israeli voters about his resolve and leadership, not a genuine engagement with the international community. Since October 7, 2023, over 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, and Israel has faced repeated accusations of genocide and systematic war crimes. Netanyahu denies these charges.