Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a strong defense of Israel's regional actions at the United Nations on Thursday, seeking to push back against mounting global isolation ahead of elections he risks losing, even as dozens of delegates streamed out.
In his speech at the ongoing session of the United Nations General Assembly, Netanyahu criticised New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for labeling him a war criminal, accused Western European leaders of caving to "antisemitic mobs," and charged both Qatar and Turkey with spreading lies.
He particularly branded Iran as a “murderous dictatorship”, and claimed the nearly seven-month conflict – in which Israeli and US forces struck Iran – had prevented Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
Deep Dive
What accusations did Netanyahu make against Zohran Mamdani during his UN speech?
Why did several delegates walk out during Netanyahu's address at the UN General Assembly?
How did Netanyahu respond to accusations of genocide against Israel during his UN speech?
Netanyahu’s remarks evoked sharp reactions from both Qatar and Turkey, which said that the Israeli Prime Minister’s words cannot “make his massacres, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the proceedings before international law invisible”.
Attack on Mamdani
Launching a strong attack on Mamdani, Netanyahu said: "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.”
{{/usCountry}}Launching a strong attack on Mamdani, Netanyahu said: "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.”
{{/usCountry}}Mamdani had campaigned for office on a promise to have Netanyahu arrested for alleged war crimes should he visit the largest US city, even though he later said he lacked the legal authority to do so. Earlier this week, he had described Netanyahu as “the architect of a horrific genocide against Palestinians”.
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Netanyahu alleged that “many Jews no longer feel safe” ever since Mamdani assumed office. “They talk to me. They tell me, ‘This isn't the city we remember. It changed so quickly’. You praise criminals convicted of supporting Hamas. You count as friends people like Hasan Piker, who said America deserved 9/11. You invited to your home a Palestinian journalist who filmed Hamas terrorists beating and torturing Israeli hostages, and later admitted that he refused to publish the videos in order to protect, you guessed it, the terrorists," he alleged.
As dozens of envoys from across the world walked out, some jeering and booing while Netanyahu's own team stood and applauded, he said: “If there are any other moral cowards who haven't left this hall, please do so now”.
Hitting back, Mamdani accused Netanyahu of using the UNGA podium to repeat what he called "baseless lies meant to sanitise his genocide of Palestinians”.
“As he has done time and again, Prime Minister Netanyahu used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitise his genocide of Palestinians. Yet no lie can change the fact that he remains the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity,” he said in a statement.
‘Fall of Iran's leadership not far’
Targeting Iran over the ongoing conflict with the US and Israel, Netanyahu said: "I vowed to prevent Iran's murderous dictatorship from developing atomic bombs, nuclear weapons aimed at destroying Israel, nuclear weapons that could threaten the entire world.”
He said the fall of Iran's leadership, whose UN envoy displayed a portrait of slain Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani on their vacant desk, was not "far”.
To be sure, Iran's government has held onto power despite the onslaught and continues to defy the US, effectively blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
Qatar, Turkey spreading lies: Netanyahu
Netanyahu accused several countries of spreading what he called "lies" about Israel, naming Qatar and Turkey.
"Several foreign countries have spent untold billions to spread lies about my country. The first to do so was Qatar...Their goal was clear. Brainwash young minds to hate Israel, hate America, hate the West," he said.
He also criticised Qatar for hosting Hamas leaders and accused Turkey of becoming a "super spreader of anti-Semitic lies". He labelled Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “tyrant”.
Qatar categorically rejected Netanyahu’s allegation. In a post on X, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said: "For this ongoing escalatory rhetoric against Qatar is nothing more than an attempt to divert attention from the violations committed by his government in the occupied Palestinian territories and their humanitarian repercussions.”
“If Netanyahu and other extremist Israeli politicians, who now find themselves addressing empty halls, wish for the world to view Israel differently, then they must begin by changing their policies, halting their violations, respecting international law, and assuming responsibility before the people who elected them—instead of seeking scapegoats on which to hang the decline of Israel's global image,” he added.
Also Read | ‘Biggest lie of the century’: Benjamin Netanyahu rejects Gaza genocide allegations in UNGA speech
The spokesperson also said that an “attempt to hold Qatar, or others, responsible for a global shift in public opinion can only be understood in the context of an effort to divert eyes from political responsibility for policies and practices on the ground, and to exploit that in domestic political calculations.”
Turkey also dismissed the "baseless accusations" at the United Nations. According to state-run news agency Anadolu, Turkish presidency's communications director Burhanettin Duran said Netanyahu's allegations were "incompatible" with UN values.
"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's use of the UN General Assembly podium to level "baseless accusations" against Turkiye and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was incompatible with the "ideals of peace, law and dialogue" represented by the UN," Duran said.
Netanyahu's words cannot "make his massacres, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the proceedings before international law invisible," he added.
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Britain, France targeted
Britain and France – both of whom have imposed limited sanctions on Israeli exports – were also in Netanyahu’s line of firing.
"They accuse Israel, tiny Israel, of colonialism – some colonialism. And who's accusing us? Among them are people in Britain and in France. For God's sake, they invented the term," he said.
During his speech, the Israeli Prime Minister held up a pager device similar to those Israeli intelligence reportedly rigged with explosives before having them shipped to operatives of Hezbollah – the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group. They were later detonated, maiming hundreds of Hezbollah operatives but also civilian bystanders.