Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the genocide claim against Israel was “the lie of the century, while adding that the Iranian regime’s toppling was “only a matter of time,” during his Thursday address to the United Nations General Assembly.
One of the main topics in Netanyahu’s speech was the different fronts that the country is fighting, with the prime minister explaining that Israel is also fighting on the information front against countries that push for antisemitic narratives and spread lies “such as the genocide claim.”
“What genocidal regime gives millions of polio vaccines to the enemy population? What genocidal regime enables the distribution of two million tons of food to Gaza, a ton per person?” Netanyahu asked the assembly, adding that a majority of the fighting was done in the social media sphere.
Netanyahu also said that there were several countries in the region actively financing information campaigns against Israel, with Qatar being the first one to hold these sorts of policies and Turkey being the last one.
“Years ago, Qatar started financing universities and the toxic media outlet Al Jazeera. They did the same in Europe, by the way. And their goal was clear. Brainwash young minds to hate Israel, America, and the West. This is the same Qatar that holds the Hamas butchers of October 7,” he said.
“Now the last country to become an antisemitic spreader of lies is Turkey. [Turkish President Recep Tayip] Erdogan is a tyrant who also hosts the Hamas terror chiefs,” he added.
Netanyahu also explained that the Turkish leader has “murdered thousands of Kurdish civilians, denies the Armenian genocide, has jailed thousands of journalists, and in fact, he holds the world record for this, and illegally occupies northern Cyprus and regularly trespasses into Greece, a NATO member.”
He said that it was no surprise that now Erdogan was “attempting to trespass into Syria, and that’s not surprising. Because he called for Israel’s destruction almost every single day. He says he is going to be the ruler of Jerusalem. No sir, you won’t.”
Netanyahu calls out Mamdani for links to Hamas, Hasan Piker
During his speech, Netanyahu also called out to recently elected New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani for his policy, saying that Jews are worried about the state of the city and the safety. “Many tell me that this is not the New York that we know, and that they can’t believe how fast it changed,” he pointed out.
“It’s no wonder if we consider that you [Mamdani] praised criminals convicted of supporting Hamas; you count as friends people like Hassan Piker, who said America deserved 9/11. Some friends you have. You invite into your home a Palestinian journalist who filmed Hamas terrorists beating and torturing Israeli hostages and later admitted that he refused to publish the videos in order to protect the terrorists. Your wife likes a post praising the Oct. 7 massacre, and another saying Tel Aviv shouldn’t exist,” Netanyahu added.
“Mr. Mamdani, you tried to stop me from coming here; you tried to silence me. Well, you can silence me, you can’t silence the truth,” the Prime Minister continued, and said: “And here is the simple truth: Israel didn’t commit genocide; Israel prevented genocide. And that’s exactly what Mr. Mamdani’s Hamas buddies would have done if we hadn’t stopped them; they would have killed every last one of us.”
Netanyahu refers to West Bank violence, recounts latest attacks against Israelis
In another moment of his speech, Netanyahu recounted the recent rise in West Bank violence, saying that the settler population can’t be represented by 150 youngsters who “throw rocks and burn down olive trees.”
“I can’t stand for vigilantes, and that’s why we are looking for them with the Shin Bet,” he continued, adding that there is no comparison between settler violence and the terror attack perpetrated by Palestinians against Israeli civilians in the West Bank.
“Three days ago, an Israeli-French citizen was shot by a Hamas terrorist in a lake in Judea and Samaria. Two days ago, a reservist was run over by a terrorist while in Judea and Samaria,” he recounted, then explaining that the victim of the car ramming was Neria Leiter, an American citizen who serves as an IDF reservist and is the son of Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter.
“In a recent post, before he was attacked, Neria wrote this: We have no country; it is a privilege to defend it. To Neira, and to all the heroes of Israel, I pledge: Your sacrifice won’t be in vain. We will continue to fight and to win, because we have no other choice,” Netanyahu said.
Starlink, beepers, and people leaving during his entrance
During the speech, Netanyahu also used prompts to explain his points, starting by showing a beeper when recounting how the IDF destroyed the Hezbollah threat with the beeper operation, and also a Starlink antenna receptor when speaking about the Iranian people rising up against the regime.
While talking about Iran, Netanyahu also recalled how the protests seen against Israel in Gaza and the West Bank were not seen when Iran repressed protesters in the streets. “But I have news for you. In Iran, the power of the people will overcome the people in power,” he said.
During Netanyahu’s address, several delegations walked out and booed the Prime Minister when he was called to the podium. Although several delegations left the plenum, 120 remained in their seats, according to the Prime Minister’s Office, which told Walla.
Additionally, Iran’s delegation left a photograph of arch-terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani on the bench.
Bennett, Golan, Sa’ar react to Netanyahu’s speech
Former prime minister and B’Yachad party leader Naftali Bennett said that Netanyahu missed his “historic opportunity to declare Qatar an enemy and expose its involvement in the October 7 massacre to the entire world.”
“In doing so, he whitewashes and legitimizes Qatar. Every moment Netanyahu refuses to call the Qatari enemy by its name harms our national security, damages Israel’s standing in the world, and dishonors the memory of those murdered in the massacre,” Bennett added.
“Qatar is an enemy with the blood of our people on its hands. They funded [Hamas’s] Nukhba forces, celebrated the massacre, have hosted and continue to host Hamas leaders, and even at this very moment, continue to spread antisemitic propaganda worldwide calling for Israel’s destruction,” he continued.
“Netanyahu speaks about Hamas, but he is trying to hide the truth. Without Qatar, there is no Hamas. Netanyahu is handing Qatar the keys to Gaza, which is why he has been unable to defeat Hamas for three years now,” the former prime minister said.
“We will declare Qatar an enemy, oust it from Israel and Gaza, and defeat Hamas,” Bennett concluded.
לנתניהו היתה הזדמנות היסטורית להכריז על קטאר כאויב ולחשוף בפני כל העולם את המעורבות שלה בטבח השבעה באוקטובר.
נתניהו החמיץ את ההזדמנות, ובכך הוא
מלבין ומכשיר את קטאר.
כל רגע שבו נתניהו מסרב לקרוא לאויב הקטארי בשמו פוגע בבטחון הלאומי שלנו,
פוגע במעמד ישראל בעולם, ופוגע בזכרם של…— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) September 24, 2026
Netanyahu’s speech “presented our truth in the house of lies that is the UN,” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said.
“Israel’s prime minister must be equipped with the abilities and skills to fight for Israel’s cause and to be a player on the international stage. The candidates seeking to replace Netanyahu in these elections do not have these abilities that Netanyahu has,” Sa’ar added.
“I was surprised to hear that Netanyahu is accusing Qatar of spreading lies and hosting Hamas leaders on October 7. Apparently the speech did not align with Yonatan Urich,” Democrats party head Yair Golan said.
Danon, allied nations presidents meet with Netanyahu on the sidelines
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, welcomed Netanyahu and his wife Sara before the PM took the stage.
ברוכים הבאים לאו״ם ראש הממשלה נתניהו ורעייתו שרה!
בקרוב ראש הממשלה @netanyahu ימסור את נאומו בפני העצרת הכללית. pic.twitter.com/Mbvb7xxPii
— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) September 24, 2026
Protests were reported outside the UN Headquarters against Netanyahu’s presence at the gathering of world leaders.
Additional footage of an anti-Israel protest in New York held ahead of Netanyahu’s address to the UN General Assembly. https://t.co/AxXpo4ngvQ pic.twitter.com/dzkU6cjhe6
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 24, 2026
Several protesters were arrested by the New York Police Department for causing disruptions outside UN HQ.
Among those arrested was anti-Zionist movie star Susan Sarandon, Walla learned.
BREAKING:
Protesters who say Israel is committing genocide are being arrested including @OsseChi who shared a few words with me as he was in handcuffs. pic.twitter.com/wUEMSus2ad— Henry Rosoff (@HenryRosoff) September 24, 2026
Before his speech, Netanyahu met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the sidelines of the UNGA.
Netanyahu “emphasized the importance of the strategic partnership between the countries for regional stability and welcomed Greece’s selection of Israeli defense systems,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Netanyahu and Mitsotakis discussed “regional developments, energy cooperation, and the advancement of another tripartite summit with Cyprus,” the PMO added.
Netanyahu also met with Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša on the UNGA sidelines, the PMO confirmed.
He thanked Janša for the opening of the Israeli embassy in Ljubljana and his “steadfast support for Israel, which has led to a turnaround in bilateral relations,” the PMO said.
The two leaders “discussed opportunities to deepen cooperation between the two countries in various fields,” and Netanyahu invited Janša to visit Israel, the PMO noted.
