Netanyahu Defends Israel at UN as Delegates Walk Out

Delegates Walk Out During Netanyahu Speech

As Netanyahu arrived at the podium, dozens of delegates left. The Israeli leader responded by declaring the departing delegates "moral cowards" and went on with his speech as empty seats could be seen in the hall. Netanyahu was greeted with applause and cheers from supporters sitting in the gallery of the hall.

Netanyahu 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.”

Netanyahu Praises Trump Support

Netanyahu held Trump in high regard, noting that Israel and the United States worked side-by-side to push back the threat from Iran. In addition, he cited US-Israel cooperation as the reason for Israel's efforts against Iran's aggression. 

"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," he said.

Israel Defends Military Action Against Iran

Netanyahu said Israel had no choice but to take action against Iran. His comments came as tensions remain high following Israel's military campaign against Iran. He has said the attack is necessary to stop Iran from building a nuclear bomb.

"Devastating Iran's nuclear facilities was hard. It was very hard to do. But for me, it was one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make as prime minister. Because if we hadn't done it, we'd all be dead. Now, you want to hear the ultimate irony? In defending itself, Israel is also defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall. Many of their leaders even thank us privately for taking out Iran's nukes. It's hard to imagine more mind-blowing hypocrisy, but that's exactly what it is," he said.

Netanyahu Recalls 2024 Pager Attack

Netanyahu displayed a pager during his address as he announced Israel's 2024 operation against Hezbollah. He mentioned the group's leaders had lost significantly and called out the pager blasts that hit Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and Syria. 

The September 2024 pager attack detonated pagers remotely used by Hezbollah operatives and resulted in deaths and injuries throughout Lebanon and some areas of Syria.

“You remember the beepers? Remember these things? Remember them? Well, I can tell you this: Hezbollah certainly remembers them. Hezbollah's leaders, dead. Their spirit, broken. The arch terrorists, the worst mass murderers on earth, not only killing Israelis, killing Americans, killing Brits, killing citizens of hundreds, dozens of countries. They're all gone too. The remaining terrorists are desperately trying to regroup. Every day, they try to murder our people. And in particular, they try to murder our people in our historic homeland, in Judea,” he said.

Netanyahu Targets Mamdani Over Genocide Claims

He also briefly mentioned Mamdani in his speech, criticising the New York Mayor for creating an atmosphere where Jews feel uneasy and for sympathising with those who have voiced pro-Hamas sentiments. He further accused Mamdani of trying to dissuade him from attending the UN, and dismissed charges that Israel is guilty of genocide against Gaza.

“Mr. Mamdani, you try to stop me from coming here. You tried to silence me. Well, you can't silence me. You can't silence the truth. And here's the simple truth. Here's a simple truth: Israel didn't commit genocide; Israel prevented genocide," he said.