UNGA Walkout, Iran Warning and Mamdani Clash: Netanyahu’s Combative UN Address

Delegates walked out. Benjamin Netanyahu told any others planning to leave to follow them.

The Israeli prime minister opened his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday with a taunt, before defending military action against Iran, praising US President Donald Trump and confronting critics ranging from foreign governments to Zohran Mamdani.

“Before I begin, just a quick announcement: if there are any other moral cowards who haven’t yet left this hall, please do so now. Thank you very much,” Netanyahu said after delegates from several countries left the chamber.

His speech drew a sharp response from Mamdani, who accused Netanyahu of repeating “baseless lies” to justify Israel’s actions against Palestinians.

Walkout Draws Netanyahu’s Fire

Netanyahu accused departing delegates and demonstrators outside the UN of applying different standards to Israel and Iran.

“Where were you when the Iranian tyrants butchered and maimed tens of thousands of unarmed Iranian civilians?” he asked, describing his critics as “phony human rights protesters”.

He also claimed that some governments publicly condemning Israel had privately thanked it for attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities. He did not identify those governments in the remarks reported.

“In defending itself, Israel is also defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall,” he said.

Iran Strikes Defended, Trump Praised

Netanyahu presented attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities as essential to Israel’s survival, saying the operation had been difficult to execute but an easy decision for him to authorise.

“Because if we hadn’t done it, we’d all be dead,” he said.

He praised Trump’s role in the conflict, describing him as Israel’s strongest partner.

“In this battle against the barbarians, we’ve had no greater partner than President Trump,” Netanyahu said. “Israel and America acted together, not only to protect ourselves, but to save civilization.”

The Israeli leader also predicted that Iran’s government would eventually collapse under pressure from its own people.

“Their murderous regime will be toppled by its lies, by its corruption, by its cruelty… This evil regime will fall,” he said.

“The power of the people will overcome the people in power.”

Claims of Success in a ‘Seven-Front War’

Netanyahu described Israel’s military operations over the past three years as a “seven-front war” involving Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran, militias in Iraq and Syria, and Palestinian militants in the West Bank.

He claimed Israel and the United States had inflicted extensive damage on Iran’s armed forces and nuclear facilities, while Israeli operations had severely weakened Hamas and Hezbollah.

Referring to the pager attacks against Hezbollah, Netanyahu said the group’s leadership had suffered major losses, although surviving fighters continued trying to regroup.

He also rejected accusations of colonialism, invoking Jewish historical ties to the Golan Heights and arguing that Israel occupied a small geographical area compared with the wider Arab world.

Qatar and Turkey Face Accusations

The speech widened into an attack on countries Netanyahu accused of encouraging hostility towards Israel.

He alleged that Qatar had spent billions influencing public opinion against Israel, the United States and the West, and criticised its hosting of Hamas leaders.

Netanyahu also accused Turkey of spreading antisemitic claims and attacked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over his treatment of Kurdish civilians, journalists and political opponents.

The remarks formed part of Netanyahu’s broader argument that Israel faced both military threats and efforts to undermine its standing internationally.

Mamdani Rejects Netanyahu’s Attack

Turning to New York, Netanyahu alleged that Jewish residents felt increasingly unsafe following Mamdani’s election. He accused Mamdani of associating with people hostile to Israel and supporting individuals linked to Hamas.

He also alleged that Mamdani had tried to prevent him from addressing the General Assembly.

“Mr. Mamdani, you try to stop me from coming here. You tried to silence me. Well, you can’t silence me,” Netanyahu said.

Rejecting allegations of genocide, he declared: “Israel didn’t commit genocide; Israel prevented genocide.”

Mamdani responded by accusing Netanyahu of using the speech to obscure Israel’s actions against Palestinians.

“As he has done time and again, Prime Minister Netanyahu used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitise his genocide of Palestinians,” he said in a statement.

Mamdani also cited the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Netanyahu, saying it alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. He had earlier called on the US federal government to execute the warrant and said the Israeli leader was “not welcome” in New York City.

Appeal Against Antisemitism

Netanyahu also used his address to urge Jews worldwide to resist intimidation, arguing that Israel’s existence and military strength meant Jewish communities would no longer be defenceless.

“Raise your head high, be proud, be confident, don’t be intimidated. Stand up,” he said, appealing to supporters of Israel to join it in confronting what he described as threats to shared values.

With inputs from ANI