Gaza Genocide · updated 37m ago · 3 min read
Netanyahu Defends Israel, Criticizes Mamdani as Delegates Walk Out at UN General Assembly
Dozens of UN delegates walked out as Netanyahu defended Israel. Netanyahu attacked New York City Mayor Mamdani, accusing him of antisemitism.
Whether Netanyahu’s Gaza war is genocide.
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“‘Accusing Israel of genocide is the greatest lie of the century,’ he said.”Read the original ↗
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Netanyahu Defends at UN
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York to defend Israel's conduct in the war against Hamas and to sharply criticize New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as some delegations walked out.
Netanyahu told the General Assembly, "If there are any other moral cowards who have not yet left the hall, please do so now," and he also said, "You falsely, repeatedly accuse Israel of genocide, Mr. Mamdani."
Netanyahu reminded world leaders of the Hamas massacre in 2023 that killed more than 1,200 Israelis, and he sought to justify Israel's response by saying it has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the General Assembly by video after the United States denied him a visa, and Abbas accused the Israeli government of "state terrorism" and "ethnic cleansing."
Outside the United Nations, protesters blocked traffic by closing northbound First Avenue at East 39th Street in Manhattan as Netanyahu arrived, and Beth Miller of Jewish Voice for Peace said, "We have over 300 New Yorkers who are sitting in and protesting Benjamin Netanyahu's speech".
Walkouts and Competing Claims
Dozens of United Nations delegates walked out of the hall as Netanyahu described those leaving as "moral cowards," and the Israeli delegation could be seen cheering Netanyahu in support. Netanyahu told the General Assembly, "If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t yet left this hall, please do so now," while the walkout underscored divisions over Israel's conduct in Gaza and Lebanon. Zohran Mamdani responded to Netanyahu's speech by saying, "As he has done time and again, Prime Minister Netanyahu used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians."
Mamdani also said, "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," and the International Criminal Court arrest warrant remained a central point of contention in the exchange. The BBC described the walkout as a moment when Netanyahu was due to deliver his speech, with delegates leaving as he criticized those who walked out and urged those who remained to leave if they felt similarly.
ICC, Elections, and Fallout
NBC News said Netanyahu pleaded his country's case to the world at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday before an audience of mostly empty seats, and it reported that hundreds of diplomats walked out en masse as he began his remarks.N
Netanyahu told the General Assembly, "We will continue to defend our state. We will continue to win because we have no other choice," and he also accused Mamdani of antisemitism and distorting facts about Israel.
Mamdani said Netanyahu "used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians," and Mamdani tied his criticism to the International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Reuters reported that Netanyahu strongly defended Israel's actions in the region during his speech, while dozens of delegates left the hall, and Reuters said Netanyahu called the walkouts "cowardly morally bankrupt."
Reuters also reported that Netanyahu faced a domestic campaign ahead of the October 27 election, and it said Netanyahu spoke for about 40 minutes in a campaign-like address broadcast live by the four main Israeli television channels.