Protesters rallied outside the United Nations building in New York and many delegates inside walked out of the room as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a fiery address to the General Assembly, denying allegations of genocide and slamming his critics, including the city's mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
He called allegations of Israeli genocide in Gaza "the biggest lie of the century" and defended attacking Iran alongside the U.S., calling it "one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make." He added: "if we hadn't done it, we'd all be dead."
In his Thursday speech, he lashed out against the protesters outside — who included Hollywood stars Susan Sarandon and Hacks actress Hannah Einbinder, both detained during the anti-Netanyahu protest — calling them "phony" and asking why they hadn't all protested when Iranian security forces killed thousands of demonstrators in January.
He also berated the dozens of U.N. delegates who walked out when he started his speech, calling them "moral cowards."
Netanyahu then attacked Mayor Mamdani, who has called him a war criminal and pushed for federal authorities to act on the International Criminal Court-issued arrest warrant for him.
The Israeli leader called Mamdani, New York's first Muslim mayor, "antisemitic."
"Mr. Mamdani, you tried to stop me from coming here. You tried to silence me. Well, you can't silence me, and you can't silence the truth," Netanyahu said in his speech.
In a statement responding to Netanyahu's criticism, Mamdani dismissed the Israeli leader's speech as "baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide against Palestinians."
Palestinian leader's address
The Israeli leader's comments came after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas delivered his address via a recorded video. The Trump administration had denied a visa to Abbas, on the grounds that the Palestinian leadership is undermining the prospects for peace, even though Abbas has been consistent in his call for a settlement with Israel. It's the second year in a row the U.S. has denied Abbas a visa for the assembly.
In his address, Abbas condemned Israeli actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and again called for a two-state solution. "We seek a democratic Palestinian state that respects the rule of law and human rights, a non-militarized state that lives in security and peace alongside the state of Israel," he said.
He also called Israel's war in Gaza a "genocidal war that has created an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe."
Netanyahu's defensive address responds to criticism
Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza has been a major topic of the week, as several world leaders have used their speeches to bluntly criticize Israel's conduct. A U.S.-mediated truce between Israel and Hamas has been in place since last October, but Israel has continued its attacks. More than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire agreement, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health authorities.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the Hamas-led attack on Israel in 2023 but said what followed by Israel was an "onslaught on Palestinians in Gaza." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described Gaza as "the most inhumane, most shameful concentration camp of our time." Jordan's King Abdullah II, whose country has maintained a peace treaty with Israel since 1994, called Israel a "regional threat" that operates with "terrifying levels" of impunity.
Netanyahu called the world leaders who criticized him "tyrants" and pushed back on much of what was said.
He rejected claims of genocide by Israel and downplayed settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, saying it was the work of 150 "juvenile delinquents." But NPR has found that violence is widespread and destructive. The United Kingdom recently said such settler attacks and land grabs amount to "ethnic cleansing."
He also accused the media of not telling the truth about the war in Gaza. Israel has not allowed outside journalists to enter Gaza to independently report in almost three years.
Increasingly isolated, Netanyahu's combative address comes as he faces an election next month that will decide if he remains prime minister.
Yemen crisis
Under scrutiny will be his handling of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by Hamas that killed about 1,200 people and prompted Israel's ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. Almost 74,000 people have been killed in Gaza since that 2023 attack, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Another key issue is the war in Iran, launched by Israel and the U.S. in February, that has affected key waterways through which Gulf countries export their oil. The seven-month war has shaken global markets as numerous attempts at diplomacy to end it have failed.
Yemen Vice President Abdullah Abdulkader al Alimi-Bawzer, part of the country's internationally recognized government, also addressed the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday. He warned that recent advances by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait pose an "international economic risk." Some 12% of the world's trade passes through the strait.
The Houthis, who have controlled the capital, Sanaa, and part of Yemen's north since 2014, seized the important port city of Mokha earlier this month from the country's government forces, which are backed by Saudi Arabia. The Houthis have declared a blockade on Saudi shipping and have attacked its oil tankers.
Since the surge in fighting in Yemen, tens of thousands of people have been displaced, and a humanitarian crisis is deepening.
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