Netanyahu at the UN: A tirade against Israel's critics

The Israeli prime minister defended his government and lashed out at his detractors, denouncing accusations of "colonialism" against Israel.

24 Sep 2026, 19:21 by L'Orient Today staff · L'Orient Today

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, isolated on the international stage and in the midst of a difficult reelection campaign, on Thursday delivered an indictment of Israel's critics as international condemnation mounts over the violence committed against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

"They accuse Israel, tiny Israel, of colonialism — some colonialism. And who's accusing us? Among them are people in Britain and in France. For God's sakes, they invented the term," he told the U.N. General Assembly, adding that "their colonies covered the entire planet."

As was the case last year, dozens of delegation members left the room as Netanyahu began to speak, in a protest organized by the Palestinian mission to the U.N. "If there are still moral cowards left in this room who haven’t walked out, let them do so now," he declared before starting his speech.

Netanyahu arrived in New York in the morning and is set to return immediately afterward, wrapping up a whirlwind visit of less than 24 hours. Unusually, no meetings with American officials are on his agenda.

His speech came the day after a ramming attack in the occupied West Bank in which the son of Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, was seriously injured. According to Leiter, his son, who is a reservist in the Israeli army, is still "in danger" of dying.

Before his trip, Netanyahu had promised to "tell the truth" about New York's new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, whom he accuses of supporting Hamas. Mamdani, a member of the left wing of the Democratic Party and a longtime activist for the Palestinian cause, accuses the Israeli prime minister of "genocide." Earlier this year, the New York mayor said he was considering arresting Netanyahu at the U.N. summit before admitting he was not in a position to execute an International Criminal Court warrant targeting the prime minister for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Dozens of protesters gathered along First Avenue, which runs beside U.N. headquarters in Manhattan, chanting, "Netanyahu, you cannot hide, you are wanted for genocide."

Campaigning ahead of the Oct. 27 legislative elections, Netanyahu, head of the most right-wing government in Israel's history, has launched his country into a war on multiple fronts — Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran — and stepped up settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, where settler violence has multiplied since the bloody Hamas attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

'Colonial project'

Speaking before Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, forced to speak by video after being denied a U.S. visa, said Israeli policies were no longer merely undermining the two-state solution but now threatened "the very life and existence" of his people.

"What is taking place in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem are not isolated incidents but a malicious colonial project aimed at making life increasingly difficult for Palestinians in their homeland and forcing them to leave," he said.

The Palestinian leader also railed against the U.S. decision to once again deny him entry to American soil, denouncing "punitive measures with no legal basis."

'Grotesque absurdity'

Netanyahu’s speech came as several foreign leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, used the U.N. podium this week to criticize Israeli government policy.

The French president lamented the humanitarian situation in Gaza. "What credibility do we have if we continue to remain inactive in the face of Gaza?" he said, also criticizing Israeli actions in the West Bank, where, he noted, "Hamas has never operated." Israel responded sharply, denouncing the "grotesque absurdity" of Macron’s comments.

Last year at the U.N., France and Saudi Arabia spearheaded recognition of a Palestinian state, hoping to advance a two-state solution that seems increasingly uncertain on the ground.

Many Western countries, including Canada, France and the United Kingdom, have for months denounced the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and imposed sanctions against Israel.

The United States, for its part, refuses to appear publicly critical of Israel but says it opposes violence and any annexation of Palestinian territory by Israel.

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