Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a provocative speech at the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, where he faced both exiting delegates and protesters who called for his arrest over alleged war crimes in Gaza. Netanyahu accused critics of Israel’s actions as moral cowardice and warned that Iran poses an existential threat to global security, insisting on the necessity of confronting it. The Israeli prime minister also criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, labeling him "antisemitic," while Mamdani countered by reiterating the ICC's arrest warrant against Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-25,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, addressed the UN General Assembly on September 24, despite being wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas was denied a visa to attend, drawing criticism and leading to a mass walkout of delegates when Netanyahu took the podium. This event highlighted ongoing tensions over Israel's actions in Gaza and Iran, with some nations expressing support for accountability under international law while others defended Netanyahu's stance. The incident underscored divisions within the global community regarding responses to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and criticisms of ICC's authority faced by Washington and Tel Aviv.
Written for “Netanyahu UN Speech Controversy” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 54 other(s) covering the same event.
The speech came as demonstrators gathered in New York to protest against the Israeli leader, with around 100 people reportedly detained by police.
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people → come → police
Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a defiant speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday, as planned protests broke out in the city against the Israeli prime minister.
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protests → deliver → minister
Netanyahu, who is gearing up for Israel's legislative elections in October, used the platform to take aim at critics of Israel's war in Gaza as well as media outlets and international partners.
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who → gear → Gaza
As he made his way to the podium, dozens of delegates from around the world exited the venue as the speaker called for order.
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speaker → make → order
"If there are any other moral cowards who haven't yet left this hall, please do so now," Netanyahu told the crowd, before turning his attention to the Iran war, which began in late February following US and Israeli strikes on the country.
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which → be → country
He argued that Iran presented an existential threat to the world and that Israel was "defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall."
"14 years ago, I stood on this podium and I drew a red line.
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I → argue → line
I vowed to prevent Iran's murderous dictatorship from developing atomic bombs," he said.
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he → vow → bombs
"Devastating Iran's nuclear facilities was hard.
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Devastating → devastate → facilities
It was very hard to do.
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It → do → ?
But for me, it was one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make as prime minister because if we hadn't done it, we'd all be dead".
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we → have → it
Netanyahu also took the opportunity to hit out at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who he dubbed the "antisemitic mayor" of the city.
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he → take → city
"Mr. Mamdani, since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe," he said.
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he → elect → city
Mamdani has previously urged US federal authorities to carry out the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant for the Israeli leader whenever he visited the US.
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he → urge → US
The ICC issued a warrant for Netanyahu's arrest in November 2024, alleging responsibility for war crimes including "starvation as a method of warfare" and "intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population."
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ICC → issue → population
It also accused Netanyahu of a number of crimes against humanity.
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It → accuse → humanity
Mamdani responded to the comments by saying Netanyahu had "used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians."
"Yet no lie can change the fact that he remains the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity," he added.
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he → respond → humanity
Elsewhere in his speech, Netanyahu rejected accusations of genocide in Gaza, saying "it's the opposite of genocide," while also attacking the UK and France over their mounting criticism of Israel.
"
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it → reject → Israel
They accuse Israel, tiny Israel, of colonialism, some colonialism.
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They → accuse → colonialism
And who's accusing us?
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who → accuse → us
For God's sakes, they invented the term," he said.
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he → invent → term
The address came as demonstrators gathered in New York to protest against Netanyahu.
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demonstrators → come → Netanyahu
Around 100 people were reportedly detained by police amid the protests, including film star Susan Sarandon.
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people → detain → Sarandon
Video footage from the AFP news agency showed the "Thelma & Louise" actor being led away in handcuffs by officers.
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actor → show → officers
An NYPD spokesperson told the agency that officers had responded to reports of an "unscheduled demonstration," with people blocking an intersection.
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people → tell → intersection
"Members of the NYPD Community Affairs Bureau issued... warnings, advising participants that they should leave," they said, adding: "They continued to block the intersection.
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They → issue → intersection
Multiple individuals who didn't comply were taken into custody."
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who → comply → custody
The Aporia
