Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a contentious address to the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday, facing protests outside the building and walkouts from dozens of delegates. In his speech, he characterized genocide allegations against Israel as “the biggest lie of the century” and defended joint military action with the United States against Iran, stating it was “one of the easiest decisions” he had made.
Netanyahu directed sharp criticism at his opponents, calling outside protesters “phony” and branding the delegates who walked out as “moral cowards.” He specifically targeted New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, accusing him of antisemitism after Mamdani called Netanyahu a war criminal and advocated for enforcement of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. Mamdani responded by dismissing Netanyahu’s remarks as “baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide against Palestinians.”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the assembly via prerecorded video after the Trump administration denied him a visa, citing concerns about Palestinian leadership’s impact on peace prospects. Abbas condemned Israeli military operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank while reiterating calls for a two-state solution and describing Israel’s war in Gaza as a “genocidal war.”
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict dominated discussions throughout the assembly week, with multiple world leaders delivering sharp critiques of Israeli conduct. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres described Israel’s actions as an “onslaught on Palestinians in Gaza,” while leaders from Turkey, Jordan, and other nations issued similarly harsh assessments. A U.S.-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has held since October, though Israeli military operations have continued, resulting in over 1,300 Palestinian deaths according to Gaza health authorities.
Netanyahu’s combative address comes as he prepares for an election next month that will determine his political future, with scrutiny focused on his handling of Hamas attacks and the broader regional conflict involving Iran.
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