'You can't silence me': Netanyahu takes aim at Mamdani, Iran at UN as delegates stage walkout

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday to defend Israel’s actions in the region and confront some of its most vocal critics.

His speech drew a visible protest inside the UN hall, with dozens of delegates walking out as he took the podium. Netanyahu also targeted New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Iran, Qatar and Turkey, while criticising Britain and France over their positions on Israel.

Netanyahu takes aim at Mamdani

Netanyahu directly addressed Mamdani, who has called him a war criminal and criticised Israel’s actions in Gaza.

“You tried to stop me from coming here. You tried. You tried to silence me. Well, you can't silence me. You can't silence the truth.”

Netanyahu also alleged that “many Jews no longer feel safe” in New York since Mamdani became mayor and accused him of associating with people who support Hamas.

Mamdani rejected Netanyahu’s remarks, saying the Israeli leader had used the UN platform to repeat what he called “baseless lies meant to sanitise his genocide of Palestinians”. He also pointed to the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Netanyahu.

Iran remains central to Netanyahu’s message

Netanyahu described Iran as a “murderous dictatorship” and defended Israel’s military campaign against Tehran.

“I vowed to prevent Iran's murderous dictatorship from developing atomic bombs, nuclear weapons aimed at destroying Israel, nuclear weapons that could threaten the entire world.”

He also said the fall of Iran’s leadership was not “far”, while defending the strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Netanyahu has repeatedly framed Israel’s military action as necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Qatar and Turkey reject Netanyahu’s accusations

Netanyahu accused Qatar of spending billions to spread what he called anti-Israel propaganda and criticised the country for hosting Hamas leaders. He also accused Turkey of spreading “anti-Semitic lies” and called President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “tyrant”.

Qatar rejected the allegations. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said Netanyahu’s remarks were an attempt to divert attention from Israel’s actions in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Turkey also dismissed what it called “baseless accusations”, with presidential communications director Burhanettin Duran saying Netanyahu’s remarks were incompatible with the UN’s principles of peace, law and dialogue.

Britain and France also face criticism

Netanyahu criticised Britain and France over accusations of colonialism against Israel.

“They accuse Israel, tiny Israel, of colonialism – some colonialism. And who's accusing us? Among them are people in Britain and in France. For God's sake, they invented the term,” he said.

The speech came as Israel faces continued international criticism over its military campaign in Gaza and its wider regional actions.