At UN, Netanyahu defends Israel as delegates storm out

By Antoni Slodkowski and John IrishAs Netanyahu took to the rostrum, officials walked out of the General Assembly meeting in protest, to which he responded, describing them as "moral cowards." His supporters in the gallery chanted in Hebrew: "The people of Israel live."Netanyahu used his UN address to berate New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for calling him a war criminal, Western European leaders for what he called succumbing to "antisemitic mobs," and to accuse both Qatar and Turkey of spreading lies about Israel."You tried to stop me from coming here. You tried. You tried to silence me. Well, you can't silence me. You can't silence the truth," Netanyahu said of Mamdani.Mamdani campaigned for office on a promise to have Netanyahu arrested for alleged war crimes should he visit the largest US city but later said he determined he lacked the legal authority to do so. This week, Mamdani described Netanyahu as "the architect of a horrific genocide against Palestinians."Making his first visit to New York since Mamdani took office in January, Netanyahu said: "Here's a simple truth: Israel didn't commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide."He falsely accused Mamdani of supporting Hamas militants."To all those spreading these lies about my country and about our brave soldiers, whether they sit in this hall or in the office of the antisemitic mayor of New York, I say this: Shame on you!" Netanyahu said.In a statement, Mamdani said: "As he has done time and again, Prime Minister Netanyahu used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians. Yet no lie can change the fact that he remains the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity.”NETANYAHU'S POLITICAL FUTURE ON THE LINEWith general elections less than five weeks away, Netanyahu spoke for about 40 minutes in what amounted to a campaign-style speech, broadcast live in evening prime time on all four of the main Israeli television channels.Ahead of his speech, Netanyahu's government paid to place 500 pro-Israel and anti-Iran billboards and dozens of trucks carrying messages in support of Israel across Manhattan, Netanyahu's office said in a statement.Netanyahu, who is seen losing power in opinion polls, showcased what he said was Israel's fight on seven fronts.Israel's longest-serving prime minister, Netanyahu has in the past made a visual spectacle of his UN appearances, using charts, diagrams and props to warn of Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran says is for civilian purposes.On Thursday, he held up a pager in reference to an attack that crippled Iran-backed Hezbollah members in Lebanon and showed a Starlink satellite internet receiver, which he said he would leave for the Iranian delegation."So when they inevitably defect, they too will be able to freely tell their story on social media," he said, adding that it was only a matter of time before the Iranian authorities would be toppled by the people.STREET PROTESTS IN NEW YORKSeveral hundred protesters gathered near the United Nations, with dozens blocking traffic and chanting, "Stop arming Israel, let Gaza live" and "Stop arming Israel, let Iran live." Police detained them.The election campaign in Israel is unfolding amid mounting criticism of the country's Gaza war. Netanyahu was making a short visit to the US for his UN address and, unusually, without a planned meeting with US President Donald Trump, whom he praised during his speech."We will continue to defend our state. We will continue to win because we have no other choice. In this battle against the barbarians, we've had no greater partner than President Trump. I thank him. I thank him for his bold leadership," he said.DEEPENING ISOLATIONIsrael has faced deepening diplomatic isolation since launching its war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attacks on Israel nearly three years ago.Netanyahu is unable to travel to many countries because of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, issued against him and his then-defense minister as well as the then-military commander of Hamas in 2024.Earlier this month, once-steadfast allies Britain, France and Canada announced sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which drew a muted response from Washington."The leaders of these countries have chosen to succumb to the antisemitic mobs. They've chosen weakness. They've chosen appeasement," Netanyahu said.He played down worsening violence in the occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers, describing it as "a handful of young juvenile delinquents, about 150 in number, who throw stones, who chop down olive trees.""Occasionally ... they lit some fires. I can't stand that. I won't stand for vigilantism. We're a country of law."Netanyahu bloc trails rivals in polls ahead of Israel's October 27 election https://www.reuters.com/graphics/ISRAEL-ELECTION/POLLS/lgvdbwrakvo/(Reporting by Antoni Slodkowski and John Irish at the United Nations and Maria Tsvetkova in New York; Additional reporting by Rami Ayyub, Alexander Cornwell and Emily Rose in Tel Aviv; Editing by Howard Goller)