Netanyahu Attacks Iran and Mamdani at UN, Prompting Mass Walkout by Delegations
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked several nations during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly. Consequently, numerous delegations decided to walk out while Netanyahu was speaking.
According to AFP on Friday (25/09/2026), several national envoys were seen leaving the assembly hall, while others could be heard jeering and shouting insults. Netanyahu’s team inside the room stood up and applauded. The session chair subsequently requested that order be restored.
“If there are any other moral cowards who have not yet left this room, please leave,” Netanyahu said to the delegates exiting the hall.
Netanyahu delivered this speech while facing the upcoming Israeli elections scheduled for 20 October. He utilised the UN platform to attack various parties that have criticised Israeli policies.
One of Netanyahu’s targets was Mamdani, the Mayor of New York and the first Muslim politician to hold the office. Netanyahu labelled Mamdani as an “antisemite” and alleged that many Jewish citizens have felt unsafe since Mamdani’s election.
“Since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jewish people no longer feel safe,” Netanyahu stated.
Mamdani had previously criticised Netanyahu harshly and had stated an intention to execute International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants against Netanyahu if he possessed the authority. However, Mamdani later acknowledged that he lacked such authority.
In 2024, the ICC stated there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu is responsible for war crimes during Israel’s operations in Gaza. Netanyahu has denied these allegations.
Attacking the UK and France
Netanyahu also criticised the United Kingdom and France, which have traditionally been Israel’s partners but have recently become more open in criticising the Israeli government’s policies. The UK and France are known to have imposed certain limited sanctions on exports from the occupied West Bank.
Netanyahu referenced the colonial history of both nations when responding to accusations that Israel is practicing colonialism. “They accuse Israel, a small Israel, of colonialism. And who accuses us? Among them are people from the UK and France. For God’s sake, they are the ones who created the term,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu’s relationship with French President Emmanuel Macron has long been strained. Last year, at the UN General Assembly, Macron urged Western nations to recognise Palestine as a state. Macron also criticised the conditions in Gaza and the West Bank during his UN speech this year.
Labeling Iran a ‘Killer Dictatorship’
Iran faced a harsher attack from Netanyahu, who referred to the Iranian government as a “killer dictatorship.”
Netanyahu stated that the war between Israel and Iran, involving the United States for nearly seven months, has hindered Tehran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons. “I swear to prevent the Iranian killer dictatorship from developing an atomic bomb, a nuclear weapon aimed at destroying Israel, a nuclear weapon that could threaten the entire world,” he declared.
Netanyahu also asserted that the fall of Iran’s leadership is drawing near. During his speech, the Iranian delegation’s seats displayed a photo of the late Quds Force commander, Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in 2020. However, the Iranian government maintains control and continues to resist US pressure, including effectively obstructing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Displaying a Pager
During his speech, Netanyahu even brought a pager to the podium. The pager refers to the series of communication device explosions used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon in 2024, an operation widely attributed to Israel. The pager explosions caused several Hezbollah members to be killed or injured, with some civilian casualties also reported.
Netanyahu then attacked Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accusing Ankara of supporting Hamas and labelling Erdogan a “tyrant.”