Delegates walk out as Netanyahu defends Israel’s regional wars in UN address

Dozens of delegates walked out of the UN General Assembly on Thursday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began an address defending Israel’s military aggression against Iran and other regional adversaries and rejecting mounting international criticism of his government’s policies.

Netanyahu responded to the walkout by describing the departing delegates as “moral cowards.” The protest left a large number of seats in the General Assembly hall empty as he continued his speech.

The Israeli prime minister portrayed his country as fighting a “seven-front war,” naming Hamas, Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis, Iran, armed groups in Iraq and Syria, and Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank. “We are going to win. We have no other choice,” he said.

Turning to the war with Iran, Netanyahu defended the Israeli and US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. He said carrying out the strikes had been militarily difficult but described authorizing them as one of the easiest decisions he had made as prime minister, arguing that Iran’s nuclear program represented an existential threat to Israel.

Netanyahu also framed the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a dispute over Israel’s existence rather than primarily over territory, reiterating his government’s rejection of arguments that territorial concessions alone could resolve the conflict.

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Addressing Syria, Netanyahu defended Israel’s claim to the Golan Heights, invoking the historical Jewish presence in the territory. Israel captured most of the Golan from Syria in 1967 and effectively annexed it in 1981. The United Nations regards the area as occupied Syrian territory and has declared Israel’s annexation legally invalid; Israel disputes that position, while the United States recognized Israeli sovereignty over the territory in 2019.

Netanyahu also criticized European governments, including Britain and France, over accusations that Israel engages in colonial practices, pointing instead to the colonial histories of European powers.

His speech came amid heightened international criticism of Israeli military operations in Gaza and policies in the occupied West Bank, as well as continuing regional conflicts involving Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. Netanyahu used much of the address to reject accusations concerning Israel’s conduct and defend its military actions as necessary for national security.

The address also took place weeks before Israel’s 27th October election, placing Netanyahu’s UN appearance against the backdrop of an active domestic election campaign.

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