Half-empty room and pro-Palestine chants for the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the UN General Assembly in New York, on 24 September 2026. Upon his entrance, dozens of diplomats from numerous delegations left the room in protest. Netanyahu’s reply came from the podium: “Whoever left the room is a moral coward, if there are others, let them leave immediately.”
Iran and the accusation of hypocrisy
In the speech, the prime minister returned to the destruction of Iranian nuclear plants: «Destroying Iran’s nuclear plants was a difficult undertaking. It was extremely difficult to make. Yet, for me, it was one of the simplest decisions I have ever had to make as prime minister. Because if we hadn’t done it, we would all be dead.”
Then the attack against those who had left the room: «Now, do you want to know the supreme irony of this defense? Israel is also defending many of the countries whose delegates have just left this chamber. In fact, I want you to know that many of their leaders even thank us privately for neutralizing Iran’s nuclear capabilities. It’s hard to imagine a more shocking hypocrisy, and yet that’s exactly what it is.”
Responding to the claims of Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa, Netanyahu also spoke about the Golan Heights: «The Jews have been present in the Golan Heights since the time of Moses. You can read it in the Bible.”
Mamdani’s silent response
A few minutes before the speech, the mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani had responded without saying a word to the accusations of the Israeli prime minister, who had criticized him for alleged support for Hamas and for “inciting riots against the Jews of New York”. In a video released on social media, Mamdani plants an olive tree in Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence, and has dinner with Palestinian families from Gaza. “May peace be our future,” he wrote in the caption on X.