Delegates walk out as Netanyahu defends Israel’s wars in UN address

Dozens of diplomats walked out of the United Nations General Assembly as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a defiant speech defending Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza, Iran and Lebanon.

Netanyahu rejected allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and told delegates, “We’re going to win. We have no other choice.” The protest was organized by a Palestinian representative, who said participants wanted to oppose what they described as genocide, war crimes and illegal occupation. Some supporters cheered Netanyahu from the public gallery.

The Israeli prime minister also defended strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, calling the decision one of the easiest he had made because he believed Iran posed an existential threat. He criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom he called the “antisemitic mayor of New York,” and accused Mamdani of supporting Hamas and making Jewish New Yorkers feel unsafe.

Mamdani responded that Netanyahu had repeated “baseless lies” to justify Israel’s conduct in Gaza. He also cited the International Criminal Court arrest warrant accusing Netanyahu of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Netanyahu rejects the allegations, and Israel does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction.

Outside the UN, large groups protested Netanyahu’s visit to New York. NPR reported that about 100 people were arrested during demonstrations in Midtown Manhattan.