Netanyahu Defends Israel at UN as Delegates Walk Out Ahead of Elections

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mounted a combative defence of his country's military actions at the United Nations on Thursday, using his General Assembly address to push back against growing international isolation just five weeks before national elections he could lose.

As Netanyahu took the rostrum, dozens of delegates walked out of the chamber in protest. He responded by calling them "moral cowards," while supporters in the gallery chanted in Hebrew: "The people of Israel live."

The speech, lasting about 40 minutes and broadcast live in prime time on all four main Israeli television channels, amounted to a campaign-style rally. Ahead of the address, Netanyahu's government funded 500 pro-Israel and anti-Iran billboards and dozens of trucks carrying supportive messages across Manhattan, his office said.

Netanyahu directed sharp criticism at New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who had described him as "the architect of a horrific genocide against Palestinians." Making his first visit to New York since Mamdani took office in January, Netanyahu said: "Israel didn't commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide." He also accused Mamdani of supporting Hamas, a claim Mamdani rejected.

In a statement, Mamdani said Netanyahu "used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians," adding that the Israeli leader remains subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Netanyahu also criticised Western European leaders for what he called succumbing to "antisemitic mobs," and accused Qatar and Turkey of spreading falsehoods about Israel. He held up a pager referencing an attack that crippled Hezbollah members in Lebanon, and displayed a Starlink satellite internet receiver he said he would leave for the Iranian delegation.

Israel has faced deepening diplomatic isolation since launching its war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attacks nearly three years ago. Earlier this month, Britain, France and Canada announced sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu dismissed the violence there as the work of "a handful of young juvenile delinquents."

Several hundred protesters gathered near the United Nations, with dozens blocking traffic and chanting slogans against arming Israel. Police detained them.

Netanyahu praised US President Donald Trump during his speech but had no planned meeting with him during the short visit. Opinion polls suggest Netanyahu is losing ground ahead of the elections.