Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a combative speech Friday at the UN General Assembly, vowing that Israel would press on in the war in Gaza until Hamas was defeated and ruling out the creation of a Palestinian state.
“The final remnants of Hamas are holed up in Gaza City,” Netanyahu told world leaders. “They vow to repeat the atrocities of October 7th again and again and again, no matter how diminished their forces. That is why Israel must finish the job, and that is why we want to do so as fast as possible.”
Netanyahu's full speech at the UN
(Video: UN)
The 41-minute address was met with walkouts from scores of delegates and applause from Netanyahu’s invited supporters in the gallery. Shouts echoed from some seats, while figures like American lawyer Alan Dershowitz and New York Mayor Eric Adams cheered him on. Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon accused the Palestinian delegation of orchestrating the protest to create the appearance of mass opposition.
October 7 invoked repeatedly
Wearing a lapel pin with a QR code linking to images of the Hamas assault, Netanyahu invoked the brutality of the attack. “On October 7th, Hamas carried out the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. They slaughtered 1,200 innocent people, including over 40 Americans… They beheaded men. They raped women. They burned babies, alive.”
He read out the names of 20 hostages believed to be alive and addressed them directly: “Our brave heroes – This is Prime Minister 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 addresses the hostages from the UN podium
(Video: UN)
He then turned to Hamas with a warning: “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.”
Condemnation of Western recognition of Palestine
Netanyahu blasted European nations that recognized a Palestinian state this week, including France, Britain, Canada and Australia. “They did so after the horrors committed by Hamas on October 7th – horrors praised on that day by nearly 90% of the Palestinian population,” he said. “You know what message the leaders who recognized a Palestinian state this week sent to the Palestinians? It’s a very clear message. Murdering Jews pays off.”
“Your disgraceful decision will encourage terrorism against Jews, and against innocent people everywhere,” he added. “It will be a mark of shame on all of you.”
Netanyahu addresses the recognition of a Palestinian state by many countries
(Video: UN)
Netanyahu dismissed the idea of a two-state solution, calling it suicidal. “Giving the Palestinians a state one mile from Jerusalem after October 7th is like giving Al-Qaeda a state one mile from New York City after September 11th. This is sheer madness. It’s insane, and we won’t do it. Israel will not allow you to shove a terror state down our throats.”
He emphasized that this rejection was not just his government’s stance: “Last year, there was a vote in the Knesset… Out of the 120 members of our parliament, 99 voted against. And only 9 supported. That’s over 90%... So my opposition to a Palestinian state is not simply my policy or my government’s policy. It is the policy of the state and people of the State of Israel.”
Framing Israel’s fight as global
Netanyahu used a “pop quiz” placard at the podium: “First question. Who shouts ‘Death to America?’ Is it A) Iran, B) Hamas, C) Hezbollah, D) the Houthis or E) All of the above? All of the above. Correct… Our enemies hate all of us with equal venom. They want to drag the modern world back to the past… to a dark age of violence, fanaticism, and terror.”
Netanyahu's 'pop quiz'
(Video: UN)
He said Western leaders condemn Israel publicly while quietly thanking it for intelligence. “Behind closed doors, many of the leaders who publicly condemn us, privately thank us. They tell me how much they value Israel’s superb intelligence services that have prevented time and again terrorist attacks in their capitals.”
Citing former U.S. Air Force intelligence chief George Keegan, Netanyahu said: “If the United States had to gather on its own the intelligence that Israel gives us, we would have to establish five CIAs.”
Partnership with Trump and strikes on Iran
Netanyahu highlighted Israeli-U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities earlier this year. “President Trump and I promised to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. And we delivered on that promise. We removed an existential threat to Israel, and a mortal threat to the civilized world.”
He praised Trump again: “President Trump understands better than any other leader that Israel and America face a common threat… He showed them there is a price to pay.”
Trump told reporters Friday before leaving the White House for the Ryder Cup in New York that he is “close” to a deal to end the war in Gaza and bring the remaining hostages home. He is expected to present Netanyahu with a 21-point peace plan, shown earlier this week to Arab leaders, during their meeting Monday at the White House. Netanyahu did not mention the plan in his address.
Defending against genocide allegations
Netanyahu pushed back on accusations Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. “Israel is accused of deliberately targeting civilians. Ladies and Gentlemen, the opposite is true… Israel is applying more measures to minimize civilian casualties than any military in history.”
He cited an estimated ratio of fewer than 2 civilians killed per Hamas fighter, saying it was “lower than NATO’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.” He insisted Israel has allowed massive humanitarian aid into Gaza, blaming shortages on Hamas theft. “Since the beginning of the war, Israel has let into Gaza more than 2,000,000 tons of food and aid. That’s one ton of aid for every man, woman and child in Gaza.”
Arab media's coverage of the speech
Comparing accusations of genocide to historical antisemitic tropes, Netanyahu said: “Those who peddle the blood libels of genocide and starvation against Israel are no better than those who peddled blood libels against the Jews in the Middle Ages.”
He linked global criticism of Israel to antisemitism. “Antisemitism dies hard. In fact, it doesn’t die at all. It just keeps coming back with its libelous lies.” He noted recent assaults on Jews abroad and added: “Here in America, an elderly Holocaust survivor was burned to death in Colorado. And a beautiful young couple from the Israeli Embassy in Washington was brutally gunned down right in front of the Holocaust Museum there.”
Regional peace and future outlook
Despite the war, Netanyahu suggested new regional opportunities, citing “serious negotiations” with Syria’s new government and the possibility of peace with Lebanon if Hezbollah is disarmed. “Victory over Hamas will make peace possible with nations throughout the Arab and Muslim world,” he said, pointing to a potential expansion of the Abraham Accords.
Netanyahu on talks with Syria and Lebanon
(Video: UN)
He closed on a historical note: “Our brave soldiers donned their uniforms and rushed into battle. They were armed with the dreams of the 100 generations of Jews who came before them. The dream of living as a free people in the Land of Israel… And the dream of being a light unto the nations – a beacon of progress, ingenuity and innovation for the benefit of all humanity.”
Backdrop and Palestinian response
The speech came as international pressure on Israel mounts. This week, France, Britain, Canada and Australia recognized a Palestinian state. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, accusing him of crimes against humanity, which he rejects. The International Court of Justice is weighing South Africa’s claim that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, which Jerusalem vehemently denies.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the General Assembly by video Thursday after being denied a U.S. visa. He welcomed recognition of Palestine and said the PA was ready to govern Gaza once Hamas disarms. “The time has come for the international community to do right by the Palestinian people,” Abbas said.
Hamas also seized on the walkouts during Netanyahu’s speech. “The boycott of Netanyahu’s speech illustrates Israel’s isolation and the consequences of its war of extermination in the Gaza Strip,” Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nounou said in a statement.
Trump signals possible breakthrough
President Donald Trump, Israel’s closest ally, told reporters Friday that he believes a breakthrough is imminent. “It’s looking like we have a deal on Gaza. I think it’s a deal that gets the hostages back, it’s going to be a deal that ends the war,” Trump said before leaving the White House to attend the Ryder Cup golf tournament in New York. He did not provide further details.
Trump: Looking like we have a deal on Gaza
(Video: Fox News)
While leaders gathered at the UN in New York this week, the U.S. unveiled a 21-point Middle East peace plan aimed at ending the nearly two-year-long war in Gaza. The proposal was circulated Tuesday to officials from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan, according to U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Trump said he spoke Thursday with representatives from several Middle Eastern nations as well as Netanyahu. He is expected to present the plan to the Israeli leader during their meeting Monday at the White House — their fourth face-to-face this year.
First published: 16:13, 09.26.25