Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a roughly 40-minute address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 24 to defend Israel's conduct in the region, reject accusations of genocide in Gaza and place Iran at the center of his broader security argument.
The speech unfolded before a visibly divided hall. Dozens of delegates left as Netanyahu approached the podium, while supporters in the gallery chanted in Hebrew. Netanyahu responded to the walkout by calling the departing delegates “moral cowards.”
The address brought together several themes that have defined Israel's international messaging since the October 7, 2023 Hamas led attack: the continuing threat from Hamas, the role of Iran and its regional allies, growing criticism of Israel in Western capitals, and the dispute over how the Gaza war should be described internationally.
Netanyahu's central argument: Israel says it is fighting a regional threat network
Netanyahu presented Israel's military campaigns as parts of one regional conflict rather than isolated fronts. He again pointed to Iran as the strategic center of the threat and referred to Israel's confrontations with Hamas, Hezbollah and other Iranian backed actors.
In one of the speech's visual moments, he held up a pager in reference to the 2024 operation that struck Hezbollah members in Lebanon. He also displayed a Starlink satellite internet receiver and said he intended to leave it for the Iranian delegation, using the prop to argue that Iranians should have freer access to information.
His language toward Iran went beyond the nuclear issue. Netanyahu said he believed the current Iranian leadership would eventually be replaced by the Iranian people, while continuing to praise U.S. President Donald Trump for his support of Israel.
Gaza and the genocide accusation
A major part of the speech was devoted to rejecting the allegation that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Netanyahu said Israel had not committed genocide and argued instead that Israel had prevented one against its own population.
That claim remains at the center of a major international legal and political dispute. Israel rejects genocide allegations and says its military campaign is directed at Hamas and other armed groups, while critics point to the scale of Palestinian civilian deaths, destruction and displacement in Gaza.
Netanyahu also attacked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has repeatedly accused him of war crimes and genocide. Mamdani responded after the speech by repeating his criticism and referring to the International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued for Netanyahu in 2024. Israel rejects the ICC's allegations and disputes the court's jurisdiction over Israeli officials.
The exchange was especially prominent because Netanyahu's speech took place in New York and because the mayor had previously said he wanted Netanyahu arrested if he entered the city, before later acknowledging the limits of his legal authority to do so.
Criticism of European governments, Qatar and Turkey
Netanyahu also used the General Assembly platform to attack governments and political leaders he says have amplified false claims about Israel.
He accused Western European leaders of giving in to anti-Israel pressure and criticized Qatar and Turkey over what he described as their role in spreading hostile narratives. His remarks came during a period of greater friction between Israel and several Western governments, including over settlement policy in the West Bank and the conduct of the Gaza war.
Reuters reported that Britain, France and Canada announced sanctions earlier in September targeting Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Netanyahu argued that such pressure rewards Israel's enemies rather than constraining them.
Netanyahu addresses settler violence in the West Bank
The prime minister also referred to attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. He described those responsible as a relatively small group of young offenders and said Israel would not accept vigilantism.
The issue has become increasingly important in Israel's relations with foreign governments, particularly as sanctions and other diplomatic measures have targeted individuals and settlement related activity.
Netanyahu's description of the scale and character of the violence is his own assessment. Human rights organizations, Palestinian officials and some foreign governments describe the problem as broader and more serious, while Israeli officials argue that the actions of violent individuals should not be used to characterize the wider settler population.
Why the speech matters
Netanyahu's UN appearances are often designed for both an international and Israeli audience, and this speech was no exception. It was carried live across Israel's major television networks and came at a time of intense political debate inside Israel as well as growing diplomatic pressure abroad.
The address did not announce a major new diplomatic initiative. Its significance was instead in the way Netanyahu framed Israel's current position: that the country sees its conflicts with Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran as connected; that it rejects the legal and political language being used by many of its critics; and that it intends to answer growing international pressure with a more confrontational public case rather than a softer one.
For readers trying to understand the speech, the key distinction is between what Netanyahu asserted from the podium and what can be independently established. His descriptions of Israel's military conduct, Iran's intentions, hostile information campaigns and the scale of settler violence remain subjects of active dispute. The fact of the speech, the walkout and the positions he publicly advanced are clear. The wider arguments around them remain contested.