Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used an address at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday to defend his government against international accusations of colonialism and to assert that Israel has successfully blocked Iran from developing nuclear weapons, while dozens of delegates walked out in protest.
Addressing International Criticism at the United Nations
Speaking in New York during a brief visit of less than 24 hours, Netanyahu targeted critics in Europe who accuse Israel of colonial policies. “They accuse Israel, tiny Israel, of colonialism, what colonialism?” Netanyahu told the assembly. “Among them, there are people in Britain and France. Good grief, they are the ones who invented the term!”
Prior to his speech, dozens of delegation members walked out of the hall. “If there are still cowards in this hall who haven’t left, do it now,” Netanyahu said from the podium before beginning his remarks. The visit included no scheduled meetings with United States officials.
Netanyahu also referenced a car-ramming attack in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday that severely injured the son of Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter. “The entire people of Israel prays for him,” Netanyahu said.
Stance on Iran’s Nuclear Program
Turning to regional security, Netanyahu stated that Israel, working alongside the United States, has prevented Iran from developing atomic weapons. “I am committed to preventing the murderous Iranian dictatorship from developing atomic bombs, nuclear weapons designed to destroy Israel, nuclear weapons that could threaten the entire world,” he said, predicting that the Iranian regime would eventually fall.
The speech coincided with statements from other world leaders at the UN criticizing Israeli policies. French President Emmanuel Macron used his address to condemn Israeli actions in the occupied West Bank, noting that the Hamas militant group does not operate there. The Israeli government dismissed Macron’s remarks as grotesque absurdity.
Netanyahu minimized the scope of violence in the West Bank, describing the perpetrators as a small group of delinquent youths. “What the media covers is a handful of young delinquents,” he said, estimating their number at around 150 individuals throwing stones and uprooting olive trees.
According to figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health cited by Agence France-Presse, more than 1,100 Palestinians, including both combatants and civilians, have been killed by the Israeli army and settlers in the West Bank since October 7, 2023. Israeli data for the same period indicate that nearly 50 Israelis, consisting of civilians and security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during military operations in the region.
Clashes Over New York City Leadership and Protests
Netanyahu renewed his verbal attacks on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a progressive Democrat whom the prime minister accuses of supporting Hamas. Repeating the phrase “shame on you” three times, Netanyahu addressed the mayor directly: “Since you were elected in this city, many Jews no longer feel safe.”
Mamdani has previously accused the Israeli prime minister of genocide. Earlier in the year, the New York mayor stated he considered arresting Netanyahu during the UN summit before acknowledging he lacked the authority to execute an International Criminal Court warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Outside the UN headquarters on Manhattan’s First Avenue, demonstrators gathered to protest the visit, chanting slogans accusing Netanyahu of genocide. Police detained several protesters, including actress Susan Sarandon.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who addressed the assembly via video link after the United States denied him a visa, stated that Israeli policies threaten the very existence of the Palestinian people and denounced the U.S. travel restriction as a baseless punitive measure.
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