Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday delivered his address at the United Nations General Assembly even as scores of delegates walked out of the hall before he began speaking.
He recalled Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which Netanyahu said some 1,200 people were killed. “Much of the world no longer remembers October 7. But we remember,” he said.
While saying that a Palestinian state would be “national suicide” for Israel, Netanyahu said that victory over Hamas “will make peace possible”.
From his attack on global leaders to his stern warning to the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, Netanyahu mentioned several aspects in his UNGA speech.
Netanyahu at UNGA | Top quotes
- Netanyahu slams world leaders: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked world leaders in his UNGA speech and accused them of “appeasing evil rather than supporting Israel”. He added that many leaders who condemn Israel in public, “thank us behind closed doors”. He said that leaders who recognised a Palestinian state this week sent a message that “murdering Jews pays off”, adding that their decision will “encourage terrorism against Jews, innocent people everywhere”. Netanyahu issued another message to the Western leaders and said, “Israel will not allow you to shove a terror state down our throats.”
- Warning to Hamas: In his address, Netanyahu said that the final remnants of Hamas are “holed up” in Gaza. He issued a warning to the militant group and said in a loud, firm voice: “Lay down your arms, let my people go, let all my people go. Free the hostages!” Netanyahu went on to say, “If you do, you will live. If you don’t, Israel will hunt you down.” The Israeli PM said that if Hamas agrees to his demands, the war in Gaza could end right away.
- Israel ‘must finish the job’: Netanyahu told the UNGA that Israel “must finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza as soon as possible. He reiterated his accusation of ‘antisemitism’ against his critics and said, “Anti-semitism dies hard. In fact, it doesn’t die at all.”
- Message to hostages in Gaza: Through the loudspeakers at the UNGA, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the remaining hostages in Gaza. He said how the Israeli army, in an “unprecedented operation”, will take over the mobile phones of Gaza residents and Hamas operatives, and his speech will be broadcast live there. In his message to the hostages, Netanyahu assured them and said, “We will not rest until we bring all of you home.”
- On genocide, starvation accusations: Addressing the genocide accusations levelled against Israel, Netanyahu said that Jerusalem has taken more measures to minimise civilian casualties than any military in history. He said that Israel dropped millions of leaflets and sent several text messages, making countless phone calls to urge the Gaza civilians to leave the city. “Would a country committing genocide plead with the civilian population it is supposedly targeting to get out of harm’s way?” Netanyahu asked. He dismissed the charge of genocide as “baseless”. He went on to talk about the prevailing starvation in Gaza, and said that Israel is accused of deliberately starving Gazans, “when it is deliberately feeding” them. He said that if there are people of Gaza who don’t have enough food, it is because “Hamas is stealing it”.