Dramatic scenes unfolded at the United Nations General Assembly as a large number of diplomats walked out in protest shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to the podium.Netanyahu appeared to address those leaving the chamber directly, telling those who remained that anyone unwilling to hear his speech should leave.
“Before I begin, just a short announcement. If there are any moral cowards remaining in the room, they must leave now,” Netanyahu said.
The Israeli prime minister used his address to defend Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and strongly criticised international figures who have accused Israel of genocide. He singled out New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, accusing him of misrepresenting the conflict and Israel’s actions.
“Shame on you, Mayor of New York, for distorting the facts,” Netanyahu said.
“Shame on you for inverting victim and aggressor. Shame on you for spitting in the face of truth.”
Netanyahu also claimed that Jewish residents in New York increasingly feel unsafe following Mamdani’s election as mayor.
“Mr. Mamdani, since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York,” he said, adding that some Jewish residents had told him, “This isn’t the city we remember. It changed so quickly.”
He went on to criticise people associated with Mamdani, including political commentator Hasan Piker, whom Netanyahu accused of making comments supporting the September 11 attacks.
Netanyahu also targeted Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, claiming she had engaged with social-media posts praising the October 7 attacks and questioning Israel’s existence.
Turning to accusations of genocide, Netanyahu rejected the allegations outright. “Israel didn’t commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide,” he said, arguing that Hamas would have carried out mass killings against Israelis if Israel had not intervened.
Netanyahu further warned of what he described as a rise in antisemitism internationally, citing attacks and threats against Jewish communities in several cities around the world.
“The lies you and other anti-Semites spread about the Jews and the Jewish state have real consequences,” he said.
Concluding his speech, Netanyahu delivered a message to Jews around the world, urging them not to be intimidated.“The days when Jews were defenceless victims marched to the slaughter, those days are over,” he said.
“Today, we have a state. Today, we have an army. Today, we have a people ready and willing to defend ourselves.”
He called on Jews to “raise your head high,” and urged those who support what he described as “truth and justice” to stand with Israel against threats to its security.