After being repeatedly condemned as a war criminal by other world leaders during the United Nations General Assembly’s current meeting in New York, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had his turn to speak on the world stage on Friday.
Many delegates walked out as Netanyahu approached the podium.
“We’re not done yet,” Netanyahu said. “The final elements, the final remnants of Hamas, are holed up in Gaza city. They vow to repeat the atrocities of Oct. 7 again and again and again, no matter how diminished their forces. That is why Israel must finish the job, that is why we want to do so as fast as possible.”
Hours before his speech, Netanyahu’s office announced his address to the U.N. General Assembly would be broadcast live on loudspeakers aimed at Gaza from the Israeli side of the border.
Netanyahu said he hoped Israeli hostages in Gaza could hear his message through the loudspeakers, and took a moment to directly address them in Hebrew and in English.
“Our brave brothers, this is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking to you live from the United Nations. We have not forgotten you, not even for a second. The people of Israel are with you. We will not falter and we will not rest until we bring all of you home,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu also said his speech was being streamed live to the cellphones of Gazans.
“So, to the remaining Hamas leaders and to the jailers of our hostages, I now say, ‘Lay down your arms, let my people go, free the hostages, all of them, the whole 48, free the hostages now. If you do, you will live. If you don’t, Israel will hunt you down,’” Netanyahu said.
Before departing Tel Aviv on Thursday, Netanyahu vowed to take a strong stance against the countries that had formally announced their support for an independent Palestinian state during the annual global summit.
“I will condemn those leaders who, instead of denouncing the murderers, rapists, and child burners, want to give them a state in the heart of the land of Israel,” he said. “This will not happen.”
In addition to a frosty reception from heads of state opposed to Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, Netanyahu is expected to face protests while in New York.
Family members of some of the hostages held in Gaza have announced plans to demonstrate outside of the U.N. headquarters during the prime minister’s speech, calling on Netanyahu and other leaders to prioritize the release of the hostages.
An isolated Israel
Even before Netanyahu arrived in New York, Israel’s isolation at the United Nations was evident.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani labeled Israel as a “rogue government” during his speech to the assembly on Tuesday, calling the Israeli airstrike on Hamas leadership in Doha earlier this month a “treacherous attack.”
“They visit our country and plot to attack it. They negotiate with delegations and plot to assassinate the members of the negotiation teams. It is difficult to cooperate with such a mentality that does not respect the most minimum standards of cooperation,” he said. “It is impossible.”
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres decried the war in Gaza during his remarks opening the General Debate.
“The scale of death and destruction are beyond any other conflict in my years as secretary-general,” he asserted.
“Nothing can justify the horrific Hamas terror attacks of October 7 and the taking of hostages, both of which I have repeatedly condemned. And nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” Guterres added.
He also called on Israel to fully comply with provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice, which require Israel to take steps to prevent genocide in Gaza.
The Israeli government has long held that the United Nations is biased against Israel and has denied violating international law.
However, rulings from another global tribunal — the International Criminal Court (ICC) — may have altered Netanyahu’s travel plans.
The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister, and flight data from his journey to New York showed his plane took an indirect route to New York, avoiding the airspace of countries that could enforce the warrant.
Israel’s government has not commented on why the longer route was selected.
Both Israel and the United States are not party to the Rome Statute, which is the treaty that established the ICC and have not consented to its jurisdiction. The Trump administration has also taken several steps to penalize the ICC for issuing warrants for the arrests of Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials.
Netanyahu returns to Washington
While in the U.S., Netanyahu is also slated to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington — marking the fourth time the two have met face-to-face since Trump’s return to the White House.
This private meeting may prove much more consequential for Israel and the broader Middle East than Netanyahu’s speech on the global stage.
U.S. and Israeli officials say the leaders are expected to discuss what retaliatory actions Israel may take in response to the growing push to recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N.
The two also held a phone call on Thursday, according to the White House.
Although Trump and Netanyahu are close allies, the meeting comes at a time when both have diverging agendas. The prime minister has been contemplating annexing additional territory in the West Bank– something the president has vowed he won’t permit.
“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Nope, I will not allow it,” Trump said on Thursday. “It’s not going to happen.”
The president also expressed renewed hope for an agreement to resolve the conflict and free the hostages from Gaza, predicting it could happen “soon.”
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