Netanyahu Tells UN Iran’s Regime Will Fall, Rejects Gaza Genocide Charge

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a forceful defense of his nation before the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, declaring that Israel would not surrender its security or its story to hostile governments, diplomatic pressure or accusations he called profoundly false.

Dozens of delegates walked out as Netanyahu approached the podium. He answered their protest without apology, calling those who abandoned the chamber “moral cowards” before turning to the threat from Iran and its regional network.

Netanyahu recalled the red line he drew during a UN address 14 years earlier, when he warned that Israel would not permit Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. He said Israel had now acted on that promise by striking Iranian nuclear facilities.

The decision, he said, was among the easiest he had made as prime minister because he believed the alternative would have placed Israel’s survival in jeopardy. He also claimed that some governments publicly criticizing Israel had privately expressed gratitude for its actions against Iran.

Netanyahu then looked beyond Iran’s present leadership and appealed to its people.

“One day, and perhaps that day is not far off, the Iranian people will be free,” he said. “This evil regime will fall, and all of us will celebrate that day.”

The Iranian delegation’s seats were empty during the address. A photograph of slain Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani reportedly had been placed among them.

A Pager and a Starlink Terminal

Netanyahu has long used visual aids to turn his UN appearances into direct appeals to audiences far beyond the chamber. This time, he held up a pager—an unmistakable reference to the 2024 operation that devastated Hezbollah’s communications network.

“Remember the pagers?” Netanyahu asked. “Hezbollah certainly does.”

Later, he displayed a Starlink terminal as a symbol of uncensored communication for Iranians living under the regime’s restrictions. Netanyahu said he would leave the device with the president of the General Assembly so it could be passed to the Iranian delegation.

The props carried a blunt two-part message: Israel has the ability to reach its enemies, and the Iranian government cannot permanently isolate its people from the truth.

Netanyahu Confronts the Gaza Accusation

A central portion of the speech addressed the continuing international battle over the Israel-Hamas war.

Netanyahu categorically rejected allegations that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. He pointed to the delivery of approximately one million polio vaccinations as evidence that Israel’s conduct was incompatible with an effort to destroy Gaza’s civilian population.

“The accusation that Israel is committing genocide is the lie of the century,” he said.

His argument drew a sharp moral distinction between Israel and Hamas. Netanyahu maintained that Israel had acted to prevent another genocidal attack after the Hamas-led massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, rather than wage war against the Palestinian people.

“Israel did not commit genocide,” he said. “Israel prevented genocide.”

The humanitarian cost of the war continues to fuel fierce criticism of Israel. Netanyahu’s answer was that the responsibility for civilian suffering cannot be separated from Hamas’ decision to fight from within densely populated communities and use civilian infrastructure for military purposes.

For Israel, he argued, the issue is not merely one of international approval. It is whether the Jewish state will retain the right to defend its people when terrorists openly seek their destruction.

Sharp Warnings for Turkey and Qatar

Netanyahu also accused Qatar of wielding its wealth to shape Western institutions and public opinion while maintaining ties to Hamas. He charged that Doha had poured money into American universities and media organizations, including Al Jazeera, while providing sanctuary to Hamas leaders.

Turkey received an equally severe rebuke. Netanyahu described President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a tyrant and accused his government of spreading antisemitic falsehoods.

After referring to Erdogan’s ambitions concerning Jerusalem, Netanyahu answered: “No, sir, you won’t be. It’s our country, our city, our eternal capital.”

His language reflected a conviction that Jerusalem is not a bargaining chip or an artifact of modern politics. For the Jewish people, it is the heart of an ancient inheritance rooted in history, Scripture and national identity.

Netanyahu carried that same argument into his response to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who had addressed the General Assembly a day earlier. The Israeli leader said Jewish ties to the Golan Heights reached back to biblical times.

A Direct Challenge to Mamdani

Netanyahu also turned his attention to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, accusing him of creating an environment in which Jewish residents no longer feel safe.

He criticized Mamdani’s associations and statements concerning Israel and Hamas, and he accused the mayor of trying to prevent or disrupt his visit.

“You tried to silence me,” Netanyahu said. “You can’t silence the truth.”

The confrontation placed the rise of antisemitism in the West inside the broader struggle over Israel’s legitimacy. Netanyahu argued that language demonizing Israel does not remain confined to university demonstrations or political speeches. It can create real danger for Jewish communities far from the Middle East.

Praise for Trump, Rebuke for Europe

Netanyahu criticized Western European leaders whom he accused of yielding to radical activists and antisemitic pressure. Appeasement, he warned, would neither protect Europe from Islamist extremism nor bring peace to the region.

By contrast, he offered strong praise for President Donald Trump.

“In this fight against the barbarians, we have had no greater partner,” Netanyahu said.

Before addressing the assembly, Netanyahu met Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša. According to Israel’s government, his talks with Mitsotakis covered regional security, energy cooperation and defense ties, while his meeting with Janša focused on strengthening relations between Israel and Slovenia.

The visit itself was unusually brief. Netanyahu arrived outside New York City, spent only several hours in the United States and was scheduled to return to Israel before Sukkot.

He closed the roughly 37-minute address with the refrain that had carried through the speech: Israel intends to prevail because history has taught the Jewish people the terrible price of leaving their survival in the hands of others.

“The eternity of Israel will not falter,” Netanyahu said. “And the reason is simple: We have no other choice.”