UNITED NATIONS, Sept 25 — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mounted a forceful defence of Israel’s actions in the region at the UN on Thursday (this morning in Malaysia), seeking to counter growing international isolation ahead of an October 27 election, as dozens of delegates streamed out of the hall.
The walkout underscored the competing pressures facing Netanyahu, who is battling mounting criticism abroad over the Gaza war while campaigning for re-election at home.
The divisions over Israel’s conduct were on display as Netanyahu began speaking, with dozens of delegates walking out in protest. He called them “moral cowards”, while supporters in the gallery chanted in Hebrew: “The people of Israel live.”
Netanyahu used his address to berate New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for calling him a war criminal, Western European leaders for what he called succumbing to “antisemitic mobs”, and accused both Qatar and Turkey of spreading lies about Israel.
“You tried to stop me from coming here. You tried. You tried to silence me. Well, you can’t silence me. You can’t silence the truth,” Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, said of Mamdani.
Mamdani campaigned for office on a promise to have Netanyahu arrested for alleged war crimes should he visit the largest US city, but later said he had determined that he lacked the legal authority to do so. This week, Mamdani described Netanyahu as “the architect of a horrific genocide against Palestinians”.
Making his first visit to New York since Mamdani took office in January, Netanyahu said: “Here’s a simple truth: Israel didn’t commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide.”
He accused Mamdani of supporting Hamas militants, an accusation Mamdani has denied.
“To all those spreading these lies about my country and about our brave soldiers, whether they sit in this hall or in the office of the antisemitic mayor of New York, I say this: Shame on you!” Netanyahu said.
In a statement, Mamdani accused Netanyahu of repeating “baseless lies” and pointed to the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against the Israeli leader over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The ICC issued the warrant in November 2024, alleging Netanyahu bears criminal responsibility for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare and crimes against humanity including murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.
Qatar also rejected the accusation that it was seeking to turn public opinion against Israel, with its Foreign Ministry spokesperson saying on X that Netanyahu’s repeated attacks on Doha sought to divert attention from responsibility for policies on the ground.
Netanyahu’s political future on the line
With Israel’s general election less than five weeks away, Netanyahu spoke for about 40 minutes in what amounted to a campaign-style speech, broadcast live during evening prime time on all four main Israeli television channels.
Ahead of his speech, Netanyahu’s government paid to place 500 pro-Israel and anti-Iran billboards and dozens of trucks carrying messages in support of Israel across Manhattan, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
With opinion polls showing Netanyahu’s bloc trailing rivals ahead of the election, he used the speech to showcase what he described as Israel’s fight on seven fronts, including the war with Iran that began with joint US-Israeli strikes in late February.
As in past UN appearances, Netanyahu used props, holding up a pager linked to an attack that killed and wounded Iran-backed Hezbollah members in Lebanon and a Starlink satellite internet receiver he said he would leave for the Iranian delegation.
“So when they inevitably defect, they too will be able to freely tell their story on social media,” he said, adding that it was only a matter of time before the Iranian authorities were toppled by the people.
Street protests in New York
Several hundred protesters gathered near the United Nations, with dozens blocking traffic and chanting, “Stop arming Israel, let Gaza live” and “Stop arming Israel, let Iran live”. Police detained them.
Netanyahu was making a short visit to the US for his UN address and, unusually, without a planned meeting with US President Donald Trump, whom he praised during his speech.
“We will continue to defend our state. We will continue to win because we have no other choice. In this battle against the barbarians, we’ve had no greater partner than President Trump. I thank him. I thank him for his bold leadership,” he said.
Deepening isolation
Israel has faced deepening diplomatic isolation since launching its war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attacks on Israel nearly three years ago.
Netanyahu is unable to travel to many countries because of the International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued against him and his then-defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in 2024. The court also issued a warrant that year for then-Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif.
Earlier this month, once-steadfast allies Britain, France and Canada announced sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which drew a muted response from Washington.
“The leaders of these countries have chosen to succumb to the antisemitic mobs. They’ve chosen weakness. They’ve chosen appeasement,” Netanyahu said.
He played down worsening violence in the occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers, describing it as involving “a handful of young juvenile delinquents, about 150 in number, who throw stones, who chop down olive trees”.
“Occasionally ... they lit some fires. I can’t stand that. I won’t stand for vigilantism. We’re a country of law.”
