Netanyahu spoke at the UN General Assembly amid exodus and protests

On Thursday evening, it was Benjamin Netanyahu's turn to speak at the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York. As the Israeli Prime Minister was introduced and walked towards the podium, other delegates stood up to leave the hall.

The same thing happened at the UN meeting in 2025 and just like then it was necessary to call for "order in the hall".

Netanyahu began the speech this year by commenting on the exodus from the hall.

- If there are more poor backs who have not yet left the hall, please do so now, he says.

He then went on to talk about the war in Iran, which Israel started in February with the United States.

Even before Netanyahu's speech, protests had broken out outside the UN headquarters in New York. Hundreds of people blocked roads and about ten were arrested, writes The Guardian. On the protesters' banners and shirts, Israel was criticized for its war in Gaza and accused of genocide against Palestinians. In his speech, Netanyahu dismissed the accusations of genocide, Reuters reports.

- Israel was not guilty of genocide. Israel prevented a genocide, he says.

Benjamin Netanyahu is suspected of war crimes during the war in Gaza, prompting the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant against him.

The latest war in Gaza broke out after the terror-labeled Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. More than 1,200 people died in the attack and another 251 people were taken hostage. Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire last year. However, attacks still occur and the death toll is rising.