When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, he does so at a critical juncture in both his political career and his country’s long and fractious relationship with the global body.
Israel has faced repeated accusations of genocide and systematic war crimes at the UN regarding its actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. These ongoing criticisms continue to shape the country’s fractious relationship with the global body.
For Netanyahu, addressing the UNGA for the 15th time, the stakes have rarely been higher. Speaking to a domestic Israeli audience that polls show is losing faith in him and his Likud party ahead of crucial elections later this year, the prime minister has pitched himself as Israel’s primary voice on the international stage.
Nevertheless, analysts suggest that Netanyahu’s address could prove to be a pivotal domestic moment, amplified by international criticism of Israel and expected to dominate headlines across the country’s television networks.
“This is a regular fixture for him,” former Israeli consul general in New York and ex-government adviser Alon Pinkas told Al Jazeera. “It’s his way of being seen in Israel as standing up against the world and telling members that he will never give up or surrender. He’s also turned the event into some kind of national holiday in Israel, with everyone sitting down to watch the address on television. He’s brainwashed people in Israel into believing his speech is somehow an announcement of policy, stated in defiance of the rest of the world, who don’t believe a word he says.”
A history of hostility
Israeli leaders have long framed their stance toward the UN as one of defiance in the face of hostility. The global body has long served as a platform for critics of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land and repeated attacks on its neighbors. This has included attempts to censure Israel over what UN investigators have described as apartheid in the West Bank, as well as accusations of genocide across the occupied Palestinian territory since October 2023.
Numerous UNGA resolutions criticizing Israel’s conduct—almost all dismissed by Israeli lawmakers as evidence of institutional bias—have culminated in Israel declaring UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres persona non grata and severely restricting the operations of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
![Permanent Representative of Israel to the UN Danny Danon at a United Nations Security Council meeting at UN headquarters in New York [File: AFP]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==)
“Generally speaking, many Israelis tend to see the UN as anti-Israeli,” said Nimrod Goren, president of the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policy, Mitvim.
Against this background, criticism from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani—already cast as anti-Israel in the Israeli press—has drawn greater public attention to the event. Underscoring the sense of hostility toward Israel are stories within the country’s media suggesting that Netanyahu’s visit to New York has been curtailed due to unspecified security concerns, with the Israeli premier expected to fly out of New York on the same day as his arrival.
In response, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon—who has repeatedly accused the organization of waging “diplomatic terrorism” against the state—called for Mamdani’s arrest for what he said was the mayor’s incitement against New York’s Jewish community ahead of Netanyahu’s visit.
“Netanyahu is going into his UNGA speech with not one but both eyes focused firmly on the upcoming Israeli election,” Goren said. “The speech is usually treated in Israel as a major event, receiving broad coverage and dominating the news cycle. Netanyahu will likely try to leverage this to bolster his image as a close ally of the US and to talk up the threat posed by Iran.”
US backing
Some have interpreted US President Donald Trump’s apparent lack of availability to meet Netanyahu during this trip as a sign of waning support. However, US backing for Israel at the UN has remained steadfast since the October 7 attack, contributing to growing frustration within the UN over what is seen as Israel’s ability to resist international censure.
Alongside the creation of the Board of Peace, which shifted significant responsibility for Gaza’s future from the UN to the Trump-founded organization, Washington has repeatedly used its veto at the UN Security Council to shield Israel from resolutions it opposes. The US has vetoed at least six UN Security Council resolutions on Gaza since October 2023, most of them demanding an immediate ceasefire.
“There seems to be genuine frustration within the UN General Assembly over the body’s failure to play a significant political role in Gaza and the West Bank, but also in its failure to protect its own staff and agencies,” said Chatham House Associate Fellow Zizette Darkazally, who previously worked with the UN.
“However, it’s worth remembering the context the UN operates within in the occupied territories and the important humanitarian role it plays. The UN continues to get aid and medical support into Gaza and the West Bank, which are both areas where Israel has absolute control over access,” she said. “It’s also worth remembering that the UN is only as strong as the commitment of its member states.”
“That, combined with a system of veto that’s more than 80 years old, has left the organization weaker now than it has ever been,” she said of the confrontations between the UN and Israel. “And we’re seeing the effects of that, not just in Palestine, but in Yemen, Sudan, and Iran, where the UN is playing next to no political role.”
