Benjamin Netanyahu used his address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday to denounce New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, dismiss genocide allegations over Gaza, and praise Donald Trump as Israel’s closest partner, in a speech delayed by protests and a mass walkout inside the hall.
Netanyahu rejected accusations about civilian casualties in Gaza head-on. “We’ve taken innumerable steps to protect the civilian population,” he said. “Is this genocide? Of course not. It’s the opposite of genocide.” Israeli attacks in Gaza since 2023 have killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, and injured more than 174,000 others, representing more than 10% of Gaza’s prewar population, according to a Guardian report published earlier this month.
He trained particular fire on Mamdani, who had previously called Netanyahu a “war criminal” and, before taking office as mayor, had said he would seek to arrest the prime minister if he visited New York.
“To all those spreading lies about my country and its brave soldiers, whether they sit in this hall, or in the antisemitic office of the mayor of New York, I say this: Shame on you,” Netanyahu said. “Mr Mamdani, since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York.”
Netanyahu described the IDF as “the most moral army in the world” and framed the war as part of a broader information battle. “There’s an eighth front to this war. It’s the war for truth. It is waged in the world’s media, and most perniciously, in social media.”
On Trump, the prime minister was unambiguous. “We have no greater partner than President Trump,” he said, adding that the two countries had been working together to “save civilisation.”
He also challenged European governments that have not backed Israel. “Many in the free world refuse to defend freedom,” he said, asking what path they intended to take: “The brotherhood of democracies, or the Muslim brotherhood?”
Outside the UN headquarters in Manhattan, protests marked his appearance. Actor Susan Sarandon and Hacks star Hannah Einbinder were among those reportedly detained by NYPD officers at a demonstration organised by Jewish Voice for Peace, according to the New York Post.
