WEBDESK - NAYADAUR
Dozens of delegates walked out of the United Nations General Assembly as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his address, staging a protest as he defended Israel’s military actions and attacked international criticism of the country.
Netanyahu dismissed accusations of genocide against Israel as the “greatest lie of the century,” rejecting criticism from a UN-backed inquiry, human rights organizations, genocide scholars and world leaders attending this week’s summit.
Addressing those who had left the chamber, Netanyahu described them as “moral cowards” and said he would continue speaking despite efforts to challenge Israel’s position at the international forum.
The Israeli leader also directly criticized New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has accused Netanyahu of being responsible for genocide in Gaza and previously said he could seek his arrest if Netanyahu entered New York.
Netanyahu, who is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, accused his critics of spreading what he called lies about Israel and its soldiers.
He also criticized European governments over their response to the Gaza conflict and escalating violence involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Several European countries have recently imposed sanctions related to Israeli settlements following increased settler violence.
Despite tensions between Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump over aspects of regional policy, the Israeli prime minister strongly praised Trump during his speech, describing the United States as Israel’s key partner.
Netanyahu also defended Israel’s military action against Iran, saying the decision to go to war had been necessary and arguing that without it, “we’d all be dead.” He predicted that Iran’s population would eventually challenge and overthrow the country’s ruling regime, although there was no evidence cited in the speech of an imminent uprising.
The speech came hours after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the UN through a video message after being denied a US visa to attend the General Assembly in person.
Abbas called for continued international efforts toward a two-state solution and accused Israel of pursuing policies that he said were undermining the possibility of Palestinian statehood. The US State Department has defended the visa decision, citing Palestinian Authority actions involving international courts.
The walkout, Netanyahu’s remarks and Abbas’s video address highlighted the deep diplomatic divisions surrounding the Israel-Gaza conflict as world leaders gathered in New York for the annual UN General Assembly.