Netanyahu Defends Israel’s Actions at UN

Dozens of diplomats walked out as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the U.N. General Assembly to protest Israel’s military actions. Netanyahu called critics hypocrites and “moral cowards,” defended strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and Israel’s operations on other fronts as necessary for security and hostage recovery, and rejected genocide allegations over Gaza. He said Israel was protecting other countries from Iran, while U.S. intelligence reporting cited in coverage said it had found no indication that Iran’s leaders had decided to build a nuclear weapon. Netanyahu also accused New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani of supporting Hamas and inciting violence against Jewish New Yorkers; Gov. Kathy Hochul called the accusations false while condemning Hamas’s October 7 attack and affirming her support for Israel. Separately, Netanyahu’s office called French President Emmanuel Macron’s criticism of Israel’s West Bank actions “grotesque” and said Hamas terrorists were carrying out attacks there.