Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Declares Gaza War ‘Opposite of Genocide’ in UN Speech

Benjamin Netanyahu delivered an inflammatory address to the United Nations on Thursday, denouncing a global anti‑Jewish conspiracy and dismissing criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza as he confronts international isolation and an upcoming election campaign in Israel.

Planned protests erupted in New York City while Netanyahu attacked critics of the Gaza humanitarian crisis, the international media, regional leaders such as Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, left‑wing commentator Hasan Piker and New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, turning the speech into a rallying point for his right‑wing base.

Citing his late brother Yonatan Netanyahu, a commando killed in the 1976 Entebbe rescue, he repeated: “We are going to win. We have no other choice.”

Dozens of delegates, responding to a Palestinian call, walked out of the General Assembly Hall as Netanyahu took the stage. The speaker pounded his gavel and called for order.

Palestinian representatives who organized the walkout said they wanted to send a clear message that no one would aid or be complicit in what they described as Israel’s genocide, war crimes and illegal occupation, and called for an end to these actions, which peace‑loving states and peoples demand.

Netanyahu urged any “moral cowards” in the audience to walk out before launching his prepared remarks.

The speech revealed little new about Israeli policy on Gaza, West Bank settler violence or plans to end regional conflicts, including the joint US‑Israel effort against Iran.

He argued that the world faces an existential threat from Iran, suggesting that Tehran could destroy the UN with missiles, and cited quiet support from world leaders that cannot be publicly disclosed.

He said striking Iran’s nuclear facilities was “very hard to do,” but “one of the easiest decisions” he had to make as prime minister, adding that failure to act would have left them “all dead.”

He then attacked perceived antisemitism, labeling Turkish President Erdoğan a “tyrant” who “hosts Hamas terrorists,” denouncing Mayor Mamdani as the “antisemitic mayor of New York,” and insisting that Israel’s Gaza campaign is not genocide—“it’s the opposite of genocide.”

“Shame on you!” he told those spreading “lies about my country and about our brave soldiers,” naming both UN attendees and the New York mayor.

Netanyahu’s address came hours after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said his delegation had been unlawfully denied visas by the Trump administration, preventing them from attending the gathering of world leaders.

In a video message from Ramallah broadcast in the hall, Abbas condemned Israel’s policies in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem as a “malicious colonial plan” aimed at a “Greater Israel” that would erase the Palestinian presence.

He warned against “another Nakba” and further massacres like those of 1948, and said the Israeli government now threatens the very existence of the Palestinian people in their homeland.

The US State Department has for a second consecutive year denied visas to Abbas and the Palestinian Authority delegation, citing their failure to pursue peace with Israel and imposing sanctions on PLO and PA officials.

Abbas rejected the punitive measures, calling them unlawful and inconsistent with US obligations as host country.

As Netanyahu spoke, protests gathered near UN headquarters. Hundreds of demonstrators carried signs reading “End the Genocide” and wore shirts proclaiming “Fund people not bombs.” More than 100 people, including local officials, were arrested by the end of the speech.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani earlier declared Netanyahu “not welcome” in New York and reviewed the possibility of an arrest under an international criminal court warrant, but later softened his stance, saying he would not attend the protests while protecting the right to demonstrate.

Netanyahu is not scheduled to meet President Donald Trump or other senior US officials during his visit, as he faces mounting international criticism. He indicated he would return quickly to Israel for the election campaign and the upcoming Sukkot holiday.

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