Netanyahu paints Israel's critics as 'antisemites' in angry UN speech to near-empty hall

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a confrontational speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, lambasting critics, including American Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and leaders of Western Europe. The hall was nearly empty as Netanyahu berated Mamdani for allegedly threatening Jewish safety in New York and accused him of trying to silence him.

Netanyahu claimed that the US-Israeli war on Iran was a victory, stating that attacking Iran's nuclear facilities was one of his easiest decisions as prime minister. He also highlighted his commitment to preventing Iran from developing atomic bombs, emphasizing that Iran poses a threat to the entire world. Netanyahu accused Israel's detractors of hypocrisy, particularly Western European countries, and criticized Turkey, Qatar, and Syria, calling Turkey a "super-spreader of antisemitic lies" and referring to Erdogan as a "tyrant."

He dismissed the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in October 2023 as a "darkest day in Israel's history" and accused Western Europe of hypocrisy regarding the conflict in Gaza, where Israel has killed over 74,000 Palestinians and wounded nearly 175,000.