Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday was met with dramatic walkouts and widespread protests, underscoring Israel’s deepening international isolation amid its ongoing war in Gaza.
As Netanyahu took the stage, scores of delegates exited the hall, leaving rows of empty seats in protest. While some attendees in the balcony offered a standing ovation, thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside near Times Square in New York, blocking traffic and denouncing Israel’s actions.
“This assembly witnessed absurd theatrics,” Netanyahu declared, accusing world leaders of succumbing to “biased media, radical Islamist constituencies and antisemitic mobs.” He insisted that, behind closed doors, many governments privately praised Israel’s intelligence services for preventing terrorist attacks, even while publicly condemning his government.
Denial of Genocide Accusations
Netanyahu rejected mounting allegations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza or using starvation as a weapon of war. He condemned Western nations that recently recognised a Palestinian state, claiming they had rewarded Hamas and sent a dangerous signal.
“This week, the leaders of France, Britain, Australia, Canada and others unconditionally recognised a Palestinian state,” Netanyahu said. “They did so after the horrors committed by Hamas on October 7—horrors that were praised that very day by nearly 90 percent of the Palestinian population. The message they sent was clear: murdering Jews pays off.”
Pledging to block any move toward Palestinian statehood, he accused European leaders of pushing Israel toward “national suicide.”
Iran, Hezbollah, and Regional Operations
In one of the most combative portions of his speech, Netanyahu displayed a map of what he called “Iran’s terror axis” and described Israeli military actions across the region. He cited targeted assassinations and airstrikes, claiming Israel had altered the strategic landscape of the Middle East.
Referring to a recent operation in Lebanon, he remarked: “You remember those beepers, the pagers? We paged Hezbollah, and believe me, they got the message.” Netanyahu went on to highlight the killings of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, senior Hamas operatives, Houthi leaders and Iranian scientists. He also claimed credit for the downfall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, though he omitted references to the rebel offensive that played a decisive role.
The Prime Minister, facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over alleged war crimes, spoke with defiance, asserting that Israel’s fight against Hamas would continue unabated.
Hamas Responds to Boycott
Hamas swiftly hailed the walkouts at the UN as evidence of Israel’s growing isolation. According to AFP, the group described the boycott as a reflection of “global solidarity with the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.”
The Hamas-run Gaza government media office denounced Netanyahu’s address as “filled with lies and blatant contradictions,” while Taher al-Nunu, a senior adviser, called it a “desperate attempt to justify war crimes and acts of genocide.”
Hamas reiterated its willingness to release all remaining hostages—around 20 survivors out of 48 originally taken—in exchange for an end to the war and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, according to Reuters.
Mounting Toll
The war, now nearing its two-year mark, continues to exact a devastating toll. Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack left 1,219 people dead in Israel, mostly civilians, according to official figures compiled by AFP. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has since killed at least 65,549 Palestinians, the vast majority civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry, whose figures are regarded by the United Nations as reliable.
With growing recognition of Palestinian statehood from Western capitals and an emboldened pro-Palestinian movement worldwide, Netanyahu’s defiant UN speech underscored both Israel’s determination and its increasing diplomatic isolation.
.png)
The opinions posted here do not belong to 🔰www.indiansdaily.com. The author is solely responsible for the opinions.
As per the IT policy of the Central Government, insults against an individual, community, religion or country, defamatory and inflammatory remarks, obscene and vulgar language are punishable offenses. Legal action will be taken for such expressions of opinion.