Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday to strongly reject accusations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, calling the allegations “the biggest lie of the century.”

Netanyahu also defended Israel’s military action against Iran and criticized countries whose representatives left the General Assembly chamber as he began speaking.

His appearance came after several days of speeches from world leaders condemning Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and accusing the Israeli government of serious violations against Palestinians. Netanyahu, however, presented Israel’s actions as necessary for its security and repeatedly defended the country’s right to protect itself.

As he approached the podium, cheers and boos could be heard, while large numbers of delegates walked out of the chamber. General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman repeatedly called for order.

Netanyahu responded by describing those who left as “moral cowards.”

“In defending itself, Israel is also defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall,” Netanyahu said. “In fact, I want you to know that many of their leaders even thank us privately for taking out Iran’s nukes.”

He later told delegates, “If there are any other moral cowards who have not yet left this hall, please do so now.”

Netanyahu Defends Decision to Attack Iran

A significant part of Netanyahu’s speech focused on Israel’s conflict with Iran. He said the decision to attack Iran was straightforward and insisted that Israel had acted in its own defense.

“was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” Netanyahu said of the decision to attack Iran.

He also expressed appreciation for President Donald Trump’s actions against Iran and predicted that Iran’s theocratic government would eventually collapse. The report noted, however, that the Iranian government remained in control despite the conflict.

Netanyahu’s comments came as the war had produced wider economic consequences internationally and remained unresolved.

The Israeli prime minister also referred to the September 2024 pager explosions involving Hezbollah in Lebanon. During his speech, he displayed a pager while discussing the operation, in which thousands of devices used by members of the Iran-backed militant group were remotely detonated.

The attack injured more than 3,000 people and killed 12, including two children, according to the report.

Netanyahu Recalls October 7 Attack

Netanyahu devoted considerable attention to Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

He said approximately 1,200 people were killed when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, while 251 people were taken hostage.

“This is equal to 40,000 innocent Americans slaughtered in less than 24 hours,” Netanyahu said, comparing the scale of the attack to the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

He argued that the attack left Israel with no alternative but to launch a major military campaign against Hamas.

Israel has faced international accusations of war crimes during the subsequent Gaza offensive. Netanyahu himself is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging crimes against humanity.

Netanyahu Rejects Genocide Allegations

The Israeli leader directly addressed allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, rejecting the accusation.

Netanyahu pointed to Israel’s provision of food and polio vaccinations and said the military had used telephone calls, text messages and leaflets to warn Palestinian civilians about areas where fighting was taking place.

He also accused Hamas of operating from civilian locations, including hospitals, schools and mosques.

Netanyahu cited John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at West Point’s Modern War Institute, in support of his argument concerning Israel’s conduct during the war.

“Israel has done more to prevent civilian casualties in war than any other military in history,” Netanyahu quoted Spencer as saying.

Netanyahu then declared: “Is this genocide? Of course not. It’s the opposite of genocide.”

Dispute Over Violence in the West Bank

Netanyahu also addressed violence involving Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

He characterized the incidents as involving a relatively small number of people and described those involved as “a handful of young juvenile delinquents” who throw stones, cut down olive trees and set fires.

“I can’t stand that. I won’t stand for vigilantism,” Netanyahu said.

He nevertheless accused international leaders and foreign media organizations of presenting what he considered an exaggerated picture of the violence.

The report noted that Netanyahu’s coalition includes settlers and their political allies and that relatively few arrests have been made in connection with the continuing settler violence.

The West Bank and East Jerusalem were captured by Israel during the 1967 war. Palestinians claim the territories as part of a future independent state, while most of the international community considers Israeli settlements there illegal and views them as an obstacle to establishing a contiguous Palestinian state.

According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 1,600 settler attacks have been recorded this year.

The Palestinian Health Ministry, based in Ramallah, says at least 104 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers or soldiers during the same period. Four Israelis have reportedly been killed by Palestinians.

The report also noted that a settler was killed and the son of Israel’s ambassador to the United States was seriously injured in separate Palestinian attacks during the week.

Netanyahu Criticizes New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani

Netanyahu also singled out New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for criticism during his speech.

Before Netanyahu arrived in New York, Mamdani had referred to him as a “war criminal” and called for his arrest. The mayor acknowledged that New York City does not possess the authority to enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant but had called on federal authorities to act.

Netanyahu accused Mamdani of spreading what he described as false claims about Israel and argued that criticism of Israel’s military actions was contributing to an unsafe environment for Jewish New Yorkers.

The Israeli prime minister connected the dispute to what he described as an international increase in antisemitism.

“The lies you and other anti-semites spread about the Jews and the Jewish state have real consequences,” Netanyahu told Mamdani. “In New York, Jews are threatened on the way to synagogue. Jews have been stabbed in the streets. Jews are demonized, targeted.”

Netanyahu also referred to attacks and killings involving Jewish people in several cities around the world, including Sydney, Manchester, Montreal and Boulder, Colorado.

He ended that portion of his remarks with an appeal to Jews facing antisemitism.

“Raise your head high,” Netanyahu said. “Be proud, be confident. Don’t be intimidated. Stand up.”

Gaza War Continues

The Gaza war began after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 73,922 Palestinians had been killed in Israel’s subsequent military offensive as of the time of the report. The ministry operates under the Hamas-run government, although its casualty figures are generally regarded as reliable by the international community.

A ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas in October of the previous year brought an end to the most intense phase of the fighting and resulted in the release of the remaining hostages. However, negotiations over subsequent stages stalled.

Israel continues to control most of Gaza and has continued carrying out airstrikes near areas under its military control. Hamas has not disarmed or surrendered control of the territory, while reconstruction efforts have made little progress in the heavily damaged enclave.

Netanyahu has also maintained that a Palestinian state will not be established while he remains Israel’s leader. He has argued that the Palestinian Authority cannot serve as Israel’s partner for peace.

Abbas Calls for International Action

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the General Assembly earlier on Thursday through a prerecorded video from Ramallah.

Abbas was unable to travel to New York after the United States denied him a visa for the second consecutive year.

In his address, Abbas called on the international community to take stronger action against Israel and questioned why some governments continue to support Israel with weapons.

“How long will some countries continue to remain silent about Israel, or continue supplying it with weapons that it uses against our people?” Abbas said.

“What, then, is the international community waiting for before it acts to protect the Palestinian people?”

Abbas has also criticized Israel’s policies in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, while calling for a political solution that would establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel. His remarks came as the conflict and the future of Gaza remained central issues during the U.N. General Assembly session.