RismadarVoice Reporters
September 25, 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly on Thursday to launch attacks against Iran, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and several Western allies, as dozens of delegates walked out of the chamber during his speech.
Netanyahu, who is campaigning ahead of Israel’s October 27 election, delivered a combative defence of his government’s military actions and accused critics of Israel of distorting the country’s conduct in the Middle East.
As he approached the podium, numerous diplomats left the hall, while some jeered and booed. Netanyahu responded by telling those who remained to leave if they disagreed with him.
“If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t yet left this hall, please do so now,” he said.
The Israeli leader also criticised Mamdani, accusing the New York mayor of antisemitism and saying Jews in the city felt less safe since his election.
Mamdani has previously described Netanyahu as a war criminal and said he would seek to enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him if he had the authority to do so. Netanyahu has rejected the allegations against him.
Netanyahu criticises Britain and France
Netanyahu also turned his attention to Britain and France, two long-standing Israeli partners whose governments have become increasingly critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
He criticised the two countries over their colonial histories while rejecting accusations that Israel itself was pursuing a colonial project.
“They accuse Israel, tiny Israel, of colonialism,” Netanyahu said, questioning why Britain and France were among those making such accusations.
His remarks followed growing diplomatic disagreements with the two European countries over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the status of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Iran was another major focus of Netanyahu’s address.
Describing Iran’s leadership in strongly critical terms, he said Israeli and US military action had prevented Tehran from developing nuclear weapons that, according to him, could threaten Israel and other countries.
Netanyahu said the Iranian leadership could eventually fall, while maintaining that Israel’s military campaign was necessary to protect the country.
He also displayed a pager during his speech, referring to the 2024 explosions involving devices used by members of Hezbollah in Lebanon. The attacks, attributed to Israel, killed and wounded people, including civilians.
Netanyahu further accused Türkiye of supporting Hamas and criticised President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was unable to attend this year’s UN gathering after the United States denied him a visa.
In a video message played before Netanyahu’s speech, Abbas criticised the decision, describing it as an unlawful punitive measure.
The absence came amid heightened international diplomatic pressure over Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Britain’s government has said Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank cannot be justified by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, while also condemning Hamas and supporting Israel’s right to security.
Netanyahu’s appearance in New York was brief, with the prime minister scheduled to return to Israel shortly after his UN address as he continues campaigning ahead of the October 27 election.
