Netanyahu lambasts Israel’s critics at UN as New York protesters detained | First Thing

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations in New York, lambasting critics and decrying what he termed a global anti-Semitic conspiracy. He disparaged Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a "tyrant" and Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York, as "antisemitic." Netanyahu claimed Israel's war in Gaza was "the opposite of genocide" rather than genocide itself.

This came shortly after Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was denied visas by the Trump administration, prompting some delegates to walk out during Netanyahu's speech. Outside the UN headquarters, over 100 people - including celebrities like Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder - were arrested during a protest inspired by a Palestinian call.

Meanwhile, US rapper Macklemore has launched a Free Palestine tour to benefit humanitarian aid organizations, with stops in Dublin, Paris, and London. In the Senate, Republicans blocked a Democratic effort to end the US war with Iran, voting down a resolution by a 49-50 vote. Saudi Arabia intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, causing oil prices to reach a one-week high due to fears of supply disruptions.