Key facts
- Dozens of UN delegates walked out during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech.
- Netanyahu called the delegates who walked out "moral cowards."
- Hundreds of protesters gathered outside UN headquarters in New York City.
- Netanyahu defended Israel's military actions and rejected accusations of genocide.
- Netanyahu criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
- Netanyahu departed for Israel directly after his speech.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a speech at the UN General Assembly on Thursday, facing a walkout by dozens of delegates and protests outside UN headquarters in New York City. Netanyahu described the delegates who left as "moral cowards" and invited others who felt similarly to depart.
Outside the UN, hundreds of protesters gathered, blocking traffic and leading to several arrests. Activists chanted slogans such as “Let Gaza live” and “end the genocide.” Jewish Voice for Peace stated the UN was “playing host to a war criminal” ahead of the address. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office stated Netanyahu "used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians."
During his approximately 40-minute address, Netanyahu fiercely defended his country's military campaigns in Iran, Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East, rejecting accusations that Israel is committing genocide. He attacked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling him a "tyrant" and accusing him of supporting Hamas. Netanyahu also criticized Mayor Mamdani, accusing him of "spreading these lies about my country or my brave soldiers."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, addressing the UN via video link, stated that Israeli policies, particularly the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, threatened the existence of the Palestinian people and jeopardized the two-state solution. He also said Palestinians were subjected to "killing, destruction, starvation and attempts at displacement, as well as a genocidal war" in Gaza.
Netanyahu's brief visit, expected to last eight hours, highlights strained US-Israel ties, with no meeting planned with US President Donald Trump. Netanyahu departed for Israel directly after his speech, with Israeli media suggesting security concerns may have curtailed his visit.