Overview
- Dozens of diplomats left the General Assembly as Netanyahu spoke to a partly empty hall, and he publicly labeled those who walked out "moral cowards."
- From the podium he forcefully rejected accusations of genocide, defended Israel's military campaign and attacked several foreign governments and New York mayor Zohran Mamdani.
- Netanyahu downplayed violence by West Bank settlers, calling them a small group of about 150 "young thugs," while emphasizing Israeli losses from the October 7 attacks.
- He used symbolic props during the visit, offering a Starlink device intended for Iran's delegation and displaying a pager like the ones linked to last year's Lebanon clashes.
- Large pro-Palestinian demonstrations surrounded the UN, police made multiple arrests including actress Susan Sarandon, and the visit is being read as part of Netanyahu's pre-election messaging that could deepen Israel's diplomatic isolation.