Netanyahu rejects genocide accusations against Israel at UN, slams New York mayor

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the general debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly that his country will continue to defend itself and win, insisting it has no other choice. In his address, he pointed to the threat posed by Iran, attacks by Palestinian militants on Israel, and sharply rejected accusations that his country is committing genocide.

Netanyahu said those making such accusations should be ashamed of themselves, singling out New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani by name. As the prime minister approached the podium, a number of diplomats walked out of the hall in protest. "Israel is defending itself, and it is defending a number of countries whose delegates just walked out," Netanyahu said, adding that many representatives from those very nations privately thank him for the fact that Israel, together with the US, prevented Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

The Hamas attack and the war in Gaza

Netanyahu described the October 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Israel as the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Hamas militants and their allies killed around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and abducted another 251. In response, Israel launched a massive military operation in the Gaza Strip, which was then under Hamas control.

According to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, the Israeli military has killed more than 73,000 people since the start of the war, with foreign non-governmental organisations estimating that over 80% of the dead were civilians.

A US-brokered ceasefire has been in place since October last year, though Israeli strikes have continued, and the two sides have yet to agree on terms for disarming Hamas and withdrawing Israeli troops from Gaza. Palestinian medical sources report that 1,400 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Gaza since the truce began. The Israeli military says it has lost four soldiers over the same period.

Netanyahu said that in response to the Hamas attack, Israel "rose up and fought like a lion." "That is Israel — one people fighting for its future," he said.

Praise for the US, criticism of Britain and France

Netanyahu praised the role of US President Donald Trump, saying the United States and Israel together are saving civilisation. In February this year, both countries carried out strikes on Iran, with the stated aim of preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons — Iran itself has repeatedly insisted its nuclear programme is purely peaceful.

While the prime minister praised Washington, he spared no criticism for Britain and France, arguing that these countries — former colonial powers themselves — are now accusing Israel of colonialism.

Netanyahu described young Israelis who attack Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank as juvenile delinquents, saying they are just a small handful who "throw stones and cut down olive trees." He stressed, however, that he would not tolerate vigilante justice.

Clash with the mayor of New York

Netanyahu also took aim at New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who during his election campaign vowed to have the Israeli prime minister arrested should he visit the city — though he later admitted he had no authority to do so. This week, Mamdani called the head of the Israeli government the architect of a genocide against Palestinians.

The International Criminal Court, whose jurisdiction neither Israel nor the US recognises, has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant over alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes linked to the Gaza offensive.

Netanyahu said Mamdani and others spreading lies about Israel should feel ashamed, adding that the mayor had tried to prevent his visit to New York, but that the truth cannot be silenced. He branded Mamdani an antisemitic mayor. In response, Mamdani said Netanyahu was lying and trying to whitewash a genocide against Palestinians, adding that no amount of lies could hide the fact that the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister.

Source: seznamzpravy.cz