Netanyahu faces UNGA walkout, attacks Mamdani; Susan Sarandon detained in anti-Netanyahu New York protest

New Delhi: The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, faced a mass walkout at the United Nations general assembly as dozens of delegates left the hall when he began his address, protesting Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Iran. Netanyahu responded defiantly, calling those who walked out “moral cowards” and saying Israel would continue fighting because “we have no other choice.”

Netanyahu used the UNGA podium to defend Israel’s military campaigns across the Middle East and reject accusations that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. “Israel didn’t commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide,” he said, while also defending the actions of the Israeli military and highlighting what he described as efforts to provide aid and protect civilians.

He then turned his criticism towards the New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who has repeatedly condemned Netanyahu over the Gaza war and had campaigned on a promise to have him arrested over alleged war crimes if he visited New York. Netanyahu told Mamdani, “You tried to stop me from coming here. You tried to silence me. Well, you can’t silence me. You can’t silence the truth.”

Netanyahu also accused Mamdani of supporting Hamas and said that since his election, “many Jews no longer feel safe in New York”. Mamdani has rejected accusations of antisemitism and has previously said he opposes hatred and bigotry.

Mamdani hit back after the speech, accusing Netanyahu of using the UN platform to repeat what he called “baseless lies” aimed at sanitising Israel’s actions in Gaza. He also pointed to the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Netanyahu, which alleges war crimes and crimes against humanity.

On Iran, Netanyahu described the country’s leadership as a “murderous dictatorship” and said Israel’s military action was aimed at preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. He claimed the fall of Iran’s leadership was “not far” and argued that the US-Israeli strikes had prevented Iran from developing weapons that could threaten Israel and the wider world.

Iran’s delegation walked out during Netanyahu’s speech, leaving behind an empty desk with a portrait of Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force. Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad airport in January 2020, in an attack ordered by the United States president, Donald Trump.

Netanyahu also praised the Donald Trump, describing the United States as Israel’s strongest partner and thanking Trump for what he called his “bold leadership”. He said Israel and the US had acted together to protect themselves and save civilization, referring to their military actions against Iran.

The Israeli prime minister also attacked Western European leaders, accusing them of giving in to what he called “antisemitic mobs”. He singled out Qatar and Turkey as countries he said had spent billions spreading what he described as lies about Israel, and accused Qatar of hosting Hamas leaders and attempting to influence young people against Israel.

Netanyahu also targeted the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling him a “tyrant” and accusing Turkey of becoming a “super spreader of antisemitic lies”. Erdogan had earlier used his own UN address to criticise Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank.

Hours before Netanyahu spoke, the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, addressed the general assembly through a recorded video message after the Palestinian delegation was denied US visas. Abbas accused Israel of subjecting Palestinians in Gaza to “killing, destruction, starvation and attempts at displacement” and described the situation as a genocidal war.

Abbas also warned that Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem threatened the “very life and existence” of the Palestinian people and undermined the two-state solution. He called for the reunification of Gaza and the West Bank under a Palestinian state and urged the international community to protect Palestinian land and prevent further displacement.

Outside the UN headquarters, hundreds of protesters demonstrated against Netanyahu, with protesters chanting slogans including “stop arming Israel, let Gaza live” and “stop arming Israel, let Iran live”. According to the Guardian, New York police detained at least 30 demonstrators, including Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon, Emmy-winning actress Hannah Einbinder, Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier and New York City council member Chi Osse.