Netanyahu Assails Rivals at Fiery UN Speech

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a fiery address to the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, speaking to “enemies and allies” alike while triggering a mass walkout in the chamber.

Facing a tight October 27 reelection campaign at home, Netanyahu used the global platform to condemn Iran, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Britain, France, and Türkiye.

Dozens of diplomats walked out, jeered, and booed as Netanyahu took the stage, prompting the Israeli leader to tell those turning their backs, “If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t left this hall, please do so now.”

Outside the headquarters, police detained several demonstrators—including actor Susan Sarandon—among crowds protesting the Israeli military campaign.

During his address, Netanyahu brandished a pager device similar to those Israeli intelligence reportedly detonated against Hezbollah operatives while branding Iranian leadership a “murderous dictatorship” and predicting its eventual fall.

He described the New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani as “antisemitic” over previous calls to enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him for alleged war crimes.

Mamdani quickly rejected the accusation, asserting, “Netanyahu used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitise his genocide of Palestinians.”

Netanyahu also turned his anger toward traditional Western partners Britain and France over trade sanctions and colonial histories, declaring, “They accuse Israel, tiny Israel, of colonialism… For God’s sake, they invented the term.”

The speech underscored deepening diplomatic rifts, particularly following the Trump administration’s decision to deny a visa to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who delivered a pre-recorded address rejecting the measures.

Netanyahu also labelled Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “tyrant” for supporting Hamas before concluding his brief New York visit to return to Israel’s campaign trail without meeting top U.S. officials.