Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a tough election in October, yet in his speech at the UN General Assembly, he highlighted his close bond with U.S. President Donald Trump and lashed out at a range of perceived and actual enemies, reports Politico.
Netanyahu stated that Israel has no greater partner than the US and thanked Trump for his bold leadership. Despite mounting tension between the Israeli government and the Trump administration over a potential war with Iran, the conflict in Gaza, and violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, Netanyahu offered warm words for the US president. Dissatisfaction regarding US relations with Israel is also currently growing among certain Republican groups.
Last week, US Vice President JD Vance—who has privately opposed a US-Israeli war against Iran—emphasized that the US must not subordinate its foreign policy to Israel. Trump, who a few months ago called Netanyahu “crazy” during a heated phone call, has not publicly endorsed Netanyahu’s re-election. Nevertheless, the words of praise directed at Trump signaled the high value Netanyahu places on his relationship with the American leader at a time when Israel faces growing international isolation—a situation for which many Israeli voters blame Netanyahu himself. Throughout his speech, he maintained a defiant tone, taking aim at everyone from European leaders to New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani. Netanyahu rebuked Great Britain and France for leading a group of US allies in imposing sanctions on goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. He portrayed them as hypocrites who accuse Israel of colonialism, despite having themselves popularized the term.
Netanyahu stated that
attacks by Israelis on Palestinians and their property had drawn excessive international attention,
and he downplayed the significance of the death toll resulting from such attacks. Addressing world leaders who had condemned this aggression, the Israeli Prime Minister declared that they did not understand what they were talking about. Many of the Israeli settlers are staunch supporters of Netanyahu’s right-wing government. At the same time, Netanyahu also sought to soften his rhetoric, stating that he would not condone vigilantism by settlers.
As Netanyahu began his speech, many delegations present walked out of the hall. This had also occurred in previous years as anger mounted over Israel’s actions in Gaza. Netanyahu accused these individuals of hypocrisy, calling them moral cowards and claiming that leaders from many of these nations had privately thanked him for thwarting Iran’s nuclear program. The Israeli Prime Minister criticized Qatar—which has sought to act as a mediator in talks between the US and Iran—as well as Turkey, whose relations with Israel have deteriorated significantly in recent years. He accused both countries of spreading antisemitic lies. Accusations of antisemitism were also leveled at the Mayor of New York, who allegedly maintains “chummy” ties with the terrorist group Hamas. Mamdani supports Palestinian statehood and, during his election campaign, pledged to execute the arrest warrant issued for Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court—though he later backed away from that promise.
Another target of Netanyahu’s ire was Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. On the 23rdd of September, the Syrian criticized Israel for its occupation of southern Syria and stated that the Golan Heights must remain Syrian territory. Netanyahu responded on the 24th of September, saying that Jews had been in the Golan Heights since the time of Moses, and called on al-Shara to pick up a Bible.
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