Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel’s military actions in Gaza, Iran and other parts of the Middle East during his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday, as dozens of delegations walked out of the chamber at the start of his speech.
The walkout, involving representatives from numerous countries, came amid continued international criticism of Israel’s military operations and its conduct in Gaza. Reports said delegations from nearly 70 countries either left the chamber or left their seats vacant during the address.
Netanyahu responded sharply to the departing delegates, describing those who remained silent or left the hall as “moral cowards” and inviting others who disagreed with him to leave.
He opened his speech by referring to his 2012 UN appearance, when he used a graphic to warn about Iran’s nuclear programme. Netanyahu said Israel’s subsequent military action against Iran had prevented what he described as an existential threat to Israel.
According to the speech text published by PUNCH, Netanyahu said destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities had been difficult militarily but that authorising the operation was, in his words, one of the easiest decisions he had made as prime minister because he believed the alternative would have endangered Israel.
Netanyahu also argued that Israel’s actions against Iran benefited countries whose representatives had walked out of the General Assembly. He claimed that some foreign leaders had privately thanked Israel for attacking Iran’s nuclear capabilities, although those claims were not independently verified.
The Israeli prime minister presented his country as fighting what he described as a “seven-front war”. He identified Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran, Yemen’s Houthis, armed groups in Iraq and Syria, and Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank among the threats facing Israel.
“We are going to win. We have no other choice,” Netanyahu said, repeating a phrase associated with his late brother, Yonatan Netanyahu.
A major part of the speech focused on the Gaza conflict and international accusations against Israel. Netanyahu rejected allegations that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza and defended the country’s military campaign as necessary for its security.
The allegations have been strongly contested. An independent UN Commission of Inquiry concluded in 2025 that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, a finding rejected by the Israeli government.
Netanyahu also criticised several international leaders and political figures, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the United Kingdom and France, as well as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
He accused Mamdani of spreading what he called false claims about Israel and said the mayor could not silence him. Mamdani has rejected Netanyahu’s accusations and, in response to the speech, accused the Israeli prime minister of repeating what he described as baseless claims about Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Netanyahu praised United States President Donald Trump and defended the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran. He said the strikes had significantly damaged Iran’s nuclear programme and argued that Israel had acted to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
The Iranian government has presented a different account of the conflict and has criticised what it describes as a double standard over nuclear activities in the region.
The speech also came as Netanyahu faces continuing political pressure at home ahead of Israel’s October 27 election. Analysts cited by international media have interpreted his UN appearance partly through the lens of domestic Israeli politics, although the speech itself focused primarily on Israel’s security, regional conflicts and international criticism.
The mass walkout highlighted the deep divisions surrounding Israel’s conduct in Gaza and its military operations elsewhere in the region. While the United States, Germany and several European delegations remained in the chamber, representatives of numerous other countries left as Netanyahu approached the podium.
Netanyahu continued speaking after the walkout, using the platform to defend Israel’s policies and argue that the country was acting in self-defence against threats from multiple armed groups and states.
His address reflected the widening diplomatic divide over the Gaza war, with Israel maintaining that its military campaign is aimed at protecting the country and defeating Hamas, while critics and international bodies have raised allegations concerning civilian casualties, humanitarian conditions and possible violations of international law.
