New York | UN General Assembly | 24 September 2026
Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the UN to defend Israel’s military record and confront its growing international criticism. What unfolded before the speech began was itself a powerful diplomatic signal: dozens of delegations walked out as Netanyahu took the podium, with reports putting the number at around 77 delegations.
The Walkout
Rather than presenting a united diplomatic audience, Netanyahu faced a visibly depleted hall.
He responded by accusing departing governments of “
hypocrisy
,” claiming that some leaders privately thank Israel for its actions while publicly criticizing it.
The symbolism was difficult to miss: Netanyahu spoke about Israel’s international legitimacy while a large number of representatives were leaving the chamber.
Iran Leaves a Message
Iranian delegates also walked out. A photograph of Qassem Soleimani was reportedly left on the Iranian delegation’s desk after their departure, turning the empty seat into a deliberate political symbol.
The Speech: Defense, Threats and Historical Claims
Netanyahu used the UN platform to:
▪️ Defend Israel’s military actions and reject allegations of genocide, arguing that Israel was preventing genocide rather than committing it.
▪️ Attack Britain and France, dismissing their criticism of Israel as coming from former colonial powers.
▪️ Accuse Qatar of funding media that, in his characterization, seeks to turn public opinion against Israel and the United States.
▪️ Attack Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, accusing Turkey of supporting Hamas and pursuing territorial ambitions in Syria.
▪️ Emphasize the West Bank as central to Israel’s historical and security claims, including an explicitly biblical justification for Jewish presence in the region.
▪️ Directly challenge Erdoğan over Jerusalem, declaring that
“you will not become the ruler of Jerusalem.”
The Golan Question
Netanyahu also addressed Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa, invoking biblical history to argue for an ancient Jewish connection to the Golan Heights.
This was more than a historical reference. It reinforced a broader Israeli argument that territorial claims can be grounded in religious and historical narratives rather than solely in contemporary international law.
The Strategic Contradiction
The central tension of the speech was unmistakable.
Netanyahu sought to portray Israel as a state acting in self-defense against threats from Iran, Hamas and other regional actors. Yet the immediate diplomatic setting showed a growing confrontation between that narrative and the positions of numerous governments represented inside the UN.
The result was not a conventional diplomatic appeal.
It was a defiant political address delivered amid a highly visible diplomatic walkout, combining security arguments, historical claims and direct attacks on Israel’s critics.
The Image That Matters
Netanyahu spoke.
Delegations walked out.
Iran left Soleimani’s image behind.
And the UN chamber became part of the message itself.
The question was no longer only what Netanyahu said. It was who remained in the room to hear it.