Gaza Genocide25 September, 20262 min read
Benjamin Netanyahu Defends Israel at UN, Rejects Gaza Genocide Claims as Delegations Walk Out
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Netanyahu defends Israel's actions in Gaza and Iran at UN General Assembly. Dozens of delegations walked out during his address, leaving the hall largely empty.
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UN walkout and Gaza war
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the United Nations General Assembly that “We are going to win. We have no other choice,” as dozens of delegations walked out before and during his speech.
“Israel did not commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide.”
Netanyahu framed Israel’s actions as self-defense while he attacked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, saying, “To all those spreading lies about my country, whether they sit in this hall or in the office of the anti-Semitic mayor of New York, I say this: shame on you.”
Netanyahu also rejected genocide allegations in Gaza, declaring, “Israel did not commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the UN through a prerecorded video from Ramallah and said, “killing, destruction, starvation and attempts at displacement, as well as a genocidal war” were being carried out in Gaza by the Israeli military.
The BBC reported that Netanyahu vowed to continue fighting after the walkout, and the speech came as Abbas said Israeli policies threatened “the very life and existence of the Palestinian people on their homeland.”
Iran nuclear strikes defended
Netanyahu defended Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities by telling the UN, “Destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities was hard, was very hard to do.” Netanyahu added that “for me, it was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make as prime minister,” and he argued that without the attack “we’d all be dead.” The BBC said Netanyahu rejected accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, while it also described Abbas’s warning that Israeli policies threatened “the very life and existence of the Palestinian people on their homeland.”
Al Jazeera reported that Netanyahu said Israel was fighting a “seven-front war,” including Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Yemen’s Houthis and militias in Iraq. The BBC said Abbas addressed the annual gathering via a video link because he had been denied a US entry visa, and Abbas warned that Israel’s actions jeopardised the two-state solution.
ICC warrant, elections, and fallout
Netanyahu’s UN appearance came despite an International Criminal Court arrest warrant calling for his arrest, and the BBC said he launched “scathing attacks” on nations and leaders who have criticised him. Mamdani’s office responded to Netanyahu’s claims by saying Netanyahu “used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians,” while Mamdani had previously vowed to arrest Netanyahu but later said he did not have the legal authority to do so. The BBC reported that a number of people protesting Netanyahu’s visit were detained in New York City, including Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon and Emmy-winning actress Hannah Einbinder.
Reuters said Netanyahu spoke for about 40 minutes in what amounted to a campaign-style speech broadcast live on all four of the main Israeli television channels ahead of an October 27 vote. Reuters also reported that Netanyahu called the walkout “moral cowards,” while it said his government paid to place 500 pro-Israel and anti-Iran billboards and dozens of trucks carrying messages across Manhattan.