Several delegations walked out of the United Nations General Assembly hall in New York on Thursday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his address at the 81st UNGA session. The dramatic walkout came amid intense international criticism of Israel over its military actions and the continuing Gaza conflict. As officials left the hall, Netanyahu responded sharply to the departing delegates. Turning to those who remained, he said, “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.” The address then became a strong defence of Israel’s actions and a direct response to the criticism being levelled against the country on the international stage. Netanyahu also used the UN platform to speak about what he described as growing anti-Semitism and called on Jews around the world to remain confident in the face of threats.
Netanyahu urges Jews to ‘raise your head high’
Netanyahu said Jews should not be intimidated by threats and urged them to stand up for themselves. He also called on people who support what he described as truth and justice to stand with Israel against forces he said were threatening their shared civilisation.
“The anti-Semites of the world want to terrify our people. I have news for them: the days when Jews were defenceless victims, marched to the slaughter, those days are over. Today, we have a state. Today, we have an army. Today, we have a people ready and willing to defend ourselves. Today I have one message for Jews around the world: raise your head high, be proud, be confident, don’t be intimidated. Stand up. Everyone else who wants to defend truth and justice, join us in standing up to the barbarians who threaten our common civilization,” he said.
Netanyahu’s remarks came as Israel faces mounting international criticism over its conduct in Gaza. Israel has rejected allegations of genocide and has maintained that its military operations are aimed at Hamas.
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Netanyahu praises Trump
During his speech, Netanyahu also praised US President Donald Trump for his support for Israel, saying the two countries had acted together to confront threats against Israel, the US and the wider world.
Netanyahu described Trump as a strong partner and thanked him for what he called his “bold leadership” in dealing with security challenges. “In this battle against the barbarians, we’ve had no greater partner than President Trump. I thank him for his bold leadership. He boldly confronted an enormous danger to America, Israel, and the world…Israel and America acted together, not only to protect ourselves, but to save civilization,” Netanyahu added.
Netanyahu takes direct aim at Zohran Mamdani
A significant portion of Netanyahu’s speech was directed at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has been an outspoken critic of the Israeli Prime Minister. Netanyahu alleged that Jewish residents in New York increasingly feel unsafe following Mamdani’s election. He also accused the mayor of associating with people and positions that Netanyahu described as hostile towards Israel and Jewish communities.
“Mr Mamdani, since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York. They talk to me. They tell me, “This isn’t the city we remember. It changed so quickly.” You praise criminals convicted of supporting Hamas. You count as friends people like Hasan Piker, who said America deserved 9/11. “America deserved 9/11.” Some friends you have. You invited to your home a Palestinian journalist who filmed Hamas terrorists beating and torturing Israeli hostages, and later admitted that he refused to publish the videos in order to protect, you guessed it, the terrorists,” he further said.
Netanyahu went on to accuse Mamdani of failing to condemn statements and positions that he said were supportive of Hamas and hostile towards Israel. He also referred to social media activity involving Mamdani’s wife and alleged that she had liked posts praising the October 7 attack and questioning Israel’s existence.
Mamdani had called Netanyahu a ‘genocide architect’
The confrontation between the two had already escalated before Netanyahu’s UN address. Mamdani had publicly criticised Netanyahu and described him as a “genocide architect” amid the continuing war in Gaza. Mamdani had also previously argued that Netanyahu should face arrest if he came to New York for the UN gathering, referring to the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against the Israeli prime minister. He later acknowledged that the New York mayor does not have the authority to independently enforce such an arrest warrant and shifted his position towards calling for federal action.
(With inputs from ANI)
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