Netanyahu at UN: ‘Israel didn’t commit genocide, Israel prevented genocide’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a combative address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday to defend Israel’s conduct in Gaza and strikes on Iran, reject genocide allegations as “the greatest lie of the century” and lash out at foreign leaders, protesters and critics he accused of hypocrisy toward Israel. Netanyahu said the strikes against Iran's nuclear program were necessary for Israel’s survival and accused foreign leaders who criticize Israel publicly of privately thanking it for acting against Tehran. Returning to his famous 2012 UN presentation, in which he used a cartoon-like bomb diagram to illustrate Iran’s nuclear progress, Netanyahu recalled drawing a red line over Tehran’s nuclear program. “Fourteen years ago, I stood on this podium and I drew a red line,” Netanyahu said. “I vowed to prevent Iran’s murderous dictatorship from developing atomic bombs.” Netanyahu said the decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities was among the clearest he had faced during his years in office. “Devastating Iran’s nuclear facilities was hard. It was very hard to do,” he said. “But for me, it was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make as prime minister. Because if we hadn’t done it, we’d all be dead.” The prime minister argued that Israel’s military actions had protected not only Israelis but other countries, including some whose representatives left the General Assembly chamber during his address. “In defending itself, Israel is also defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall,” Netanyahu said. He then accused those governments of hypocrisy, claiming some of their leaders had privately expressed gratitude for Israel’s actions against Iran. “Many of their leaders even thank us privately for taking out Iran’s nukes,” Netanyahu said. “It’s hard to imagine more mind-blowing hypocrisy, but that’s exactly what it is.” Netanyahu also turned to Palestinian attacks in the West Bank, using the biblical name Judea for the territory. “They try to murder our people in our historic homeland in Judea,” Netanyahu said. “By the way, that’s where the word ‘Jew’ comes from — Judea. That’s our land.” He said there are thousands of attacks each year targeting Israeli families traveling on West Bank roads. “They shoot at pregnant women. They shoot entire families,” he said, accusing international media and social media platforms of largely ignoring such attacks. “None of it is covered in the international press or on social media. None of it.” Netanyahu also addressed settler violence in the West Bank, describing those responsible as a small group of about 150 young offenders and saying Israel would not tolerate vigilantism. “A handful of young juvenile delinquents, about 150 in number, go and throw stones, chop down olive trees and occasionally set fires,” Netanyahu said. “I can’t stand that. I won’t stand for vigilantism. We’re a country of law, so we put our Shin Bet on them.” The prime minister rejected international criticism of settler violence, arguing that such incidents were disproportionately emphasized compared with Palestinian attacks against Israelis in the West Bank. “The number of casualties a year is maybe two or three,” Netanyahu said. “Compare that with the thousands of terrorist attacks against peaceful settlers — honorable, law-abiding people. What a distortion. It’s an obsession.” He also criticized foreign leaders who have raised the issue. “Leaders of countries seriously talk about this, and they say with such importance, ‘We can’t stand settler violence.’ You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. Netanyahu directly addressed French President Emmanuel Macron, citing two recent Palestinian attacks in the West Bank. Macron had triggered a dispute with Israel over comments about Hamas during his address to the UN General Assembly, appearing to claim that the terrorist group had never operated there. “I say this to my colleague Emmanuel Macron: Three days ago, a French citizen, Netanel Shukrun, a father of six, was gunned down when he visited a spring with his 16-year-old son,” Netanyahu said. “A Hamas terrorist in Judea and Samaria came and fired at him point-blank. His last words were, ‘Flee, flee, son. Save yourself.’” Macron's remarks drew an angry Israeli response. A French diplomatic source later said the remarks had been mistranslated and that Macron meant Hamas had never governed the territory. Netanyahu then cited the attack on Neriya Leiter, who was seriously wounded Wednesday in a Palestinian car-ramming attack near the Maccabim checkpoint in the West Bank. Leiter, a member of a police patrol crew, is the son of Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter. His brother, Maj. (res.) Moshe Yedidyah Leiter, was killed fighting in Gaza during the war. “Two days ago, in Judea and Samaria, a reserve soldier, Neriya Leiter, was mowed down by a Palestinian terrorist,” he said. “He’s fighting for his life now in a Jerusalem hospital.” The premier vowed to continue defending Israel. “Israel is like no other country. It's a privilege to defend it. To Neriya and to all the heroes of Israel, I pledge a sacred vow: Your sacrifice will not be in vain,” Netanyahu said. “We will continue to defend our state. We will continue to win because we have no other choice.” Netanyahu praised the IDF as “the most moral army in the world,” citing the scale of missile attacks Israel has faced and the diversity of those serving in its military. “You can imagine, think about 1,000 gigantic missiles falling from the skies on your cities, on your homes,” Netanyahu said. “I salute the courage of the people of Israel. I salute the courage of the people of Israel. I salute the courage of our brave soldiers, Jews, Christians, Jews, Muslim, the most moral army in the world, the IDF.” Netanyahu then launched a sharply worded attack on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accusing Turkey of spreading antisemitism and criticizing Erdogan’s domestic and regional policies. “The latest country to become a superspreader of antisemitic lies is Turkey,” Netanyahu said. “Erdogan is a tyrant. He also hosts the Hamas terror chiefs. He has murdered thousands of Kurdish civilians. He denies the Armenian genocide. He jails journalists and opposition leaders.” The prime minister went on to accuse Turkey of expansionism, pointing to its presence in northern Cyprus and tensions with Greece and Syria. “I think he holds the world record on this, and that’s a tough call. But I think he’s number one,” Netanyahu said, referring to the jailing of journalists and political opponents. “He illegally occupies northern Cyprus, an EU member, and he regularly transgresses against Greece, a NATO member. Now he wants to take over Syria. Well, that’s not surprising.” Netanyahu also targeted Qatar, accusing the Gulf state of using its financial influence over universities and media organizations to foster hostility toward Israel and the West. “Decades ago, it started massively funding American universities and toxic media outlets like Al Jazeera,” Netanyahu said. “They did the same in Europe, by the way. And their goal was clear: brainwash young minds to hate Israel, hate America, hate the West. This is the same Qatar that hosts the Hamas butchers of October 7.” Netanyahu defended Israel’s conduct in Gaza, saying Hamas had deliberately endangered Palestinian civilians while Israel had sought to move them out of harm’s way. “It will take time for the world to acknowledge what is so plain to see: that Hamas used Palestinian civilians as human shields, that it used hospitals, schools and mosques as terrorist command posts, that it sold much of the food we let into Gaza,” Netanyahu said. “While Hamas did everything possible to keep Palestinian civilians in harm’s way, often at gunpoint, Israel did everything possible to get them out of harm’s way.” Netanyahu went further, claiming Israel’s efforts to limit civilian casualties were unprecedented in modern warfare. “Israel has done more to prevent civilian casualties in war than any other military in history,” he said. Netanyahu flatly rejected allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, turning the accusation on Israel’s enemies. “Israel didn’t commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide,” Netanyahu said. He called the allegation “the greatest lie of the century” and invoked retired U.S. Army Col. John Spencer, who has publicly defended Israel’s conduct in Gaza. “Accusing Israel of genocide is the greatest lie of the century,” Netanyahu said. “If you want to know how big a lie, if you want to know how absurd it is, listen to Col. John Spencer.” Netanyahu also singled out political commentator and streamer Hasan Piker while criticizing figures he accused of sympathizing with Hamas and anti-Israel causes. “You praise criminals convicted of supporting Hamas,” Netanyahu said. “You count as friends people like Hasan Piker, who said America deserved 9/11.” Turning again to Iran, Netanyahu held up a Starlink satellite internet terminal, saying he would leave it with the president of the General Assembly to give to the Iranian delegation. He portrayed the device as a symbol of free expression in the face of Iranian government censorship. “This is a communications device, Starlink, that allows people to access truth, to exercise choice, to exercise freedom of thought and freedom of speech,” Netanyahu said. “I’m going to leave this device with you so you can give it to the Iranian delegation. So when they inevitably defect, they too can share their story.” Netanyahu also directly attacked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, accusing him of hostility toward Israel and attempting to prevent the prime minister from visiting the city. “Mr. Mamdani, you tried to stop me from coming here. You tried to silence me,” Netanyahu said. “Well, you can’t silence me. You can’t silence the truth.” Mamdani has called Netanyahu a war criminal and the “architect of the genocide in Gaza,” allegations Netanyahu rejects, and has called for his arrest under the International Criminal Court warrant issued against him in 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The United States is not a member of the ICC, and Israel rejects both the court’s jurisdiction and the allegations against Netanyahu. Netanyahu has accused Mamdani of hosting a Palestinian journalist who, he said, had filmed Hamas terrorists abusing Israeli hostages but withheld the footage to protect them. He also accused Mamdani’s wife of liking social media posts praising the Oct. 7 massacre and saying Tel Aviv should not exist, and criticized Mamdani for repeatedly accusing Israel of genocide. Netanyahu concluded his remarks on Iran by predicting that its government would ultimately be overcome by its own people. “Despite your silence, despite your hypocrisy, it’s only a matter of time before something incredible happens in Iran,” Netanyahu said. “The power of the people will overcome the people in power.” Addressing Iranians directly, he added: “One day — and it may not be far away — the Iranian people will be free.” Netanyahu also challenged protesters outside the UN and delegates who walked out of the chamber, accusing them of remaining silent over Iran’s crackdown on its own citizens. “To the protesters outside, to the hypocritical delegates who left this hall, I ask: Where were you when the Iranian tyrants butchered and maimed tens of thousands of unarmed Iranian civilians?” Netanyahu said. “When they butchered and maimed thousands of their own people, where were you?” Netanyahu also predicted the eventual collapse of Iran’s government, directly addressing the Iranian people and portraying its downfall as inevitable. “I want you to listen to my words carefully. One day — and it may not be far away — the Iranian people will be free,” Netanyahu said. “Their murderous regime will be toppled by its lies, by its corruption, by its cruelty. This evil regime will fall, and we will all celebrate that day.” Netanyahu also recalled Israel’s September 2024 pager operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon, in which thousands of pagers used by members of the Iran-backed group exploded almost simultaneously. A second wave of explosions involving booby-trapped walkie-talkies followed the next day. “Hezbollah — you remember the beepers? Remember these things? Remember them?” Netanyahu said. “Well, I can tell you this: Hezbollah certainly remembers them.” Netanyahu then pointed to Israel’s broader