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Netanyahu Faces an UNGA Walkout (Again)
The Israeli prime minister defended his country’s actions in Gaza and Iran—and lashed out at Mamdani.
Welcome back to Foreign Policy’s Situation Report. It’s Thursday, which means we are back to our regular weekly programming, but we have more news from another busy day at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City.
Here’s what’s on tap for the day: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers his UNGA speech, U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Washington, and Denmark’s military intelligence service issues a chilling warning about Russia.
Welcome back to Foreign Policy’s Situation Report. It’s Thursday, which means we are back to our regular weekly programming, but we have more news from another busy day at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City.
Here’s what’s on tap for the day: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers his UNGA speech, U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Washington, and Denmark’s military intelligence service issues a chilling warning about Russia.
Netanyahu’s Defiance
For the second year in a row, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced a mass walkout at UNGA. As Netanyahu took the stage for his speech on Thursday, more than 100 U.N. delegates left their seats and exited the assembly hall.
“If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t yet left this hall, please do so now,” Netanyahu began.
He then referenced his first-ever speech to the gathering 14 years ago, when he said the world must prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. “That’s exactly what we did,” he said. “It was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make as prime minister, because if I hadn’t done it, we’d all be dead.” Netanyahu characterized Israel’s actions against Iran as “defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this room.”
He also recounted the death of his older brother Yonatan, who was killed in action during Operation Entebbe, a 1976 mission by Israel Defense Forces commandos to rescue Jewish hostages who were being held in Entebbe, Uganda, after their flight from Tel Aviv to Paris was hijacked by Palestinian and German militants.
Netanyahu referenced his brother several times throughout the speech, but he repeatedly came back to one line he said his brother told him: “We’re going to win, because we have no other choice.”
Defender. The Israeli prime minister once again defended Israel’s brutal war in Gaza, calling the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that prompted it the “darkest day in Israel’s history” and praising Israel’s military response. “We didn’t collapse. Instead, we rose and fought like lions,” he said, outlining the “seven fronts” where the Israeli military is now fighting in the region, including in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. “Do you know any other country the size of New Jersey capable of fighting a seven-front war?” he asked.
Like many world leaders, Netanyahu’s speeches at the multilateral institution—which Israel increasingly expresses great disdain for—are always aimed at least partly at his domestic audience, but that was even more so the case this year, with just over a month to go before Israelis head to the polls for a referendum on his government.
In his remarks, he presented himself as a defender of Israel. “We have no other country. It is a privilege to defend it,” he said, telling all the Israelis killed in the war that “your sacrifice will not be in vain.” And he praised Trump, saying Israel had “no greater partner” and that the two leaders launched the war against Iran “not only to protect ourselves, but to save civilization.”
‘Mr. Mamdani.’ Yet in addition to denouncing Iran, Hamas, and other longtime enemies, Netanyahu also chose to focus some of his ire on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has called Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide and said he would have the New York Police Department arrest Netanyahu when he visited the city—only to later conclude that was not legally possible.
“Mr. Mamdani, since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York,” Netanyahu said, citing threats against Jews in New York “on the way to the synagogue.”
“Israel didn’t commit genocide, Israel prevented genocide,” he added. “That’s exactly what Mr. Mamdani’s Hamas buddies would have done to us.”
‘A malicious colonial scheme.’ Earlier in the day, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas used his speech—like Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian the day before—to criticize both the United States and Israel. Abbas addressed the gathering virtually for the second consecutive year, saying in prepared video remarks that the Palestinian delegation was denied U.S. visas again.
“We reject these unlawful punitive measures, and we reject the accusations and justifications on which they were based,” he said. “Denying the Palestinian delegation access to the U.N. headquarters is a violation of the United States’ obligation as the host country,” he added.
Abbas also criticized Israel’s continued strikes in Gaza, which he called “a genocidal war that has created an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe” as well as the actions of Israeli settlers in the West Bank. “The danger is no longer limited to undermining the two-state solution and preventing the realization of the Palestinian state. It has now come to threaten the very life and existence of the Palestinian people on their homeland,” he said. “What is taking place in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem are not isolated incidents, but rather a malicious colonial scheme aimed at making the lives of Palestinians more difficult in their homeland and forcing them to leave it.”
Let’s Get Personnel
Eight U.S. Navy personnel who were part of the USS Abraham Lincoln’s strike group attempted suicide during the carrier’s 286 continuous days at sea, according to a letter by acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Tuesday. The letter was in response to congressional concerns about the mental health of the crew, who set a modern record for continuous time at sea without a port call due to Trump’s decision to extend the ship’s deployment in the Middle East.
“The men and women of Carrier Strike Group THREE have demonstrated exceptional resolve under demanding conditions,” Cao wrote. “Operational decisions to extend deployments are never made lightly.” During that deployment, personnel aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier reported a slew of challenges, including food shortages and sewage issues, that negatively impacted their well-being.
Yet Trump has dismissed such concerns. When asked last month whether he was concerned about the crew’s mental health and the length of the deployment, Trump responded: “No. No. No. Not nearly long enough.”—Alexandra Sharp
On the Button
What should be high on your radar, if it isn’t already.
New deal? At UNGA, Iran furnished the United States with a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days and resume negotiations on a permanent deal “if certain conditions are met,” Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi told a small group of reporters on the sidelines of the gathering.
“The conditions we have asked the U.S. to meet is nothing new, nothing more than what was already in the Islamabad agreement, which was signed by the U.S. president,” he said. “So, if anything they committed themselves in the MOU [memorandum of understanding] is in fact implemented in practice, the conditions that we have set are met, then the strait will be open and talks will be restarted to get to the final deal.”
Araghchi said they’d introduced the new plan to the Trump administration via “intermediaries” and that Iran is waiting for a response from the U.S. side, adding that the seven-day clock would begin “the day after the U.S. accepts this plan.”
He declined to put a deadline on a response from Washington, saying Tehran was “not in a hurry
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the U.N. prompted walkouts inside the chamber and protests outside. NBC News’ Erin McLaughlin reports.Sept. 24, 2026
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ALBAWABA- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced boos and a mass walkout at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday as dozens of delegations left the hall before and during his speech, leaving large sections of the chamber empty.
As Netanyahu approached the podium, several delegations walked out in protest. He responded by calling those who left “moral cowards” and invited others to follow them. “If there are any other moral cowards who have not yet left the hall, please do so now,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu devoted much of his address to Iran, saying Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities had prevented what he described as an existential threat. He said the decision to strike was among the easiest decisions he had made and thanked U.S. President Donald Trump, whom he called Israel’s “greatest partner,” for confronting the threat.
Netanyahu also claimed that leaders of some countries whose delegations had left the chamber had privately thanked Israel for its actions against Iran. Iran has repeatedly denied seeking nuclear weapons, while the International Atomic Energy Agency has said it has not found evidence that Iran had developed a nuclear weapon.
On the Golan Heights, Netanyahu invoked historical Jewish ties to the territory and told Syria’s president that Jews had lived there since the time of Moses. He also rejected accusations of genocide in Gaza as “the biggest lie of the century” and defended Israel’s military operations in Gaza and its presence in the occupied West Bank on security grounds.
His address came amid continued international criticism of Israel over its crimes in the Gaza war and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. The UN General Assembly has seen repeated calls for an end to the fighting and for adherence to international law.
Netanyahu’s visit to New York was notably brief. Israeli officials said he was expected to remain in the United States for less than eight hours before returning to Israel. His office said he would meet nine world leaders, including five from Latin America, but did not announce a meeting with Trump or other U.S. officials.
The short visit contrasts with Netanyahu’s week-long trip to the United States last year, which included a meeting with Trump. The absence of a scheduled meeting with the U.S. president comes as the two governments navigate differences over regional policy and amid Israel’s upcoming October election.
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ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu has again avoided Irish airspace as he made his way to New York to address the United Nations.
Netanyahu’s government plane, known as the ‘Wing of Zion’, took off from Israel at 2am Irish time and navigated a route that took it over Greece, Italy and then France.
Flight-tracking websites show that after leaving French airspace off the coast of Brest, the aircraft continued in a westward direction but maintained a heading that kept it south of entering Irish airspace.
The route then took the plane towards the North Atlantic towards Canada and the US but it avoided entering Irish airspace.
Netanyahu’s flight route was taken in the context of the arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the likelihood that some nations would enforce the warrant.
The Hague-based International Criminal Court said in 2024 that it had reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Netanyahu’s office has rejected the ICC allegations and previously described the court as a “kangaroo court”.
Netanyahu can’t be arrested for simply being in a country’s airspace – but if the plane needed to make an emergency landing, he could be arrested if he had set foot in a nation that would enforce the warrant.
The Israeli Prime Minister has avoided Irish airspace on previous occasions but Israeli media has reported that all of Netanyahu’s flights to the US since October 2023 have crossed through Greece, Italy and France.
France, Italy and Greece are signatories of the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the International Criminal Court and grants it jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
As outlined by the Rome Statute, it is the duty of all 125 signatory states to exercise their criminal jurisdiction over those responsible for international crimes.
Essentially, all ICC member states are now required to arrest Netanyahu if he enters their territory.
Greece 🇬🇷, Italy 🇮🇹, France 🇫🇷, and Canada 🇨🇦 do not have to allow Israeli 🇮🇱 PM Benjamin Netanyahu to fly through their sovereign airspace.
— Steffan Watkins (@steffanwatkins) September 24, 2026
Each government made a conscious choice, multiple times. https://t.co/8AA9Bj4maO
Despite this, France, Greece and Italy have each suggested that they would not detain Netanyahu under the ICC warrant.
The Irish government said after the ICC warrant was first issued that “those who commit war crimes and crimes against humanity, must be held fully to account”.
The French foreign ministry said in 2024 that the country would not arrest Netanyahu as the Israeli leader is covered by immunity that applies to states which are not a part of the ICC.
Like the United States, Israel is not a member of the ICC.
Netanyahu’s plane is expected to traverse Canadian airspace but the country’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand would not confirm this yesterday when asked by reporters yesterday at UN headquarters.
“I actually have asked my department to provide me with information relating to this particular flyover, which I did not have before coming to the United Nations,” Anand said according to Canadian broadcaster CTV News.
New York
While the US does not accept the ICC’s jurisdiction, leaders visiting the United Nations are also generally immune from US authorities.
Despite this convention, the US State Department has refused to grant a visa to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to address the UN today and he will instead address the meeting remotely.
Netanyahu’s arrest warrant has also created another point of contention between the Israeli leader and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani said he would seek Netanyahu’s arrest if he visited New York but this year he confirmed that his office does not have the authority to carry out such an arrest.
Mamdani said his administration had examined whether New York City could execute the warrant ahead of this UN General Assembly
“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant,” Mamdani said in July
He added: “The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.”
Netanyahu is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly at 7pm Irish time and has vowed to denounce Mamdani during his speech.
“I’m coming to the UN, I’m going to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers and I’m going to tell the truth about you,” he said, addressing Mamdani.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin was asked about Netanyahu’s criticism of Mamdani and he said that the Israeli prime minister should “respect his mandate and not endeavour to undermine it or cast doubt on it”.
- With reporting by Andrew Walsh and AFP
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Keypoints of Netanyahu's UNGA address
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government paid to place 500 pro-Israel and anti-Iran billboards and dozens of trucks carrying messages in support of Israel across Manhattan, according to his office ahead of his speech.
Here are the highlights of Netanyahu's speech at the UN General Assembly on Thursday, as he spoke for about 40 minutes in what amounted to a campaign-style address, broadcast live in evening prime time on all four of Israel's main television channels.
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Netanyahu said that Israeli settler violence across the occupied West Bank is carried out by just a “handful of young juvenile delinquents” as he downplayed the number of Palestinian casualties from these attacks.
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He attacked Syrian Prime Minister Ahmad al-Shaara over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, saying that he "should know that the Jews have been on the Golan Heights since the days of Moses. You can read in the Bible."
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The prime minister accused Britain and France of hypocrisy over their accusation of colonialism against Israel.
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Netanyahu called Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a "tyrant", accusing him of helping Hamas.
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The prime minister also attacked New York's Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the UN, accusing him of "spreading these lies about my country or my brave soldiers".
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Netanyahu said that Israel is fighting a “seven-front war” against Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran, as well as groups in Iraq, Syria, and Palestine.
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