Netanyahu at UN General Assembly: 'Israel prevented genocide'

In a speech at the UN General Assembly, Netanyahu responded to genocide accusations against Israel, told of October 7 events and three years of fighting on seven fronts, and presented recent terror attacks in Judea and Samaria.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Thursday night the UN General Assembly, as dozens of leaders left the chamber when his speech began and a protest against Israel was being held in New York. Netanyahu opened: 'Before I start, if there are any more moral cowards here who haven't left, please leave now.' He told of standing on that same podium 14 years ago and swearing to prevent Iran from developing nuclear bombs, and attacked France and Britain for accusing Israel of colonialism.

Netanyahu recalled his meeting with his brother Yoni, who was killed in the Six-Day War, who told him that we will win, we have no choice. On October 7, which he called the darkest day in Israel's history, he said that thousands of operatives infiltrated Israel and slaughtered 1,200 Israelis, shot citizens from close range, burned babies in front of their parents, beheaded and raped women before murdering them. According to him, the murdered included Holocaust survivors and neighbors of the operatives who had employed them previously.

Netanyahu said that since October 7, Israel has been fighting on seven fronts, and together with the United States has struck Iran's army, navy and air force. He described thousands of murder attempts against civilians in Judea and Samaria annually, and reported that three days ago French citizen Nathanael Skarron, father of six, was murdered while visiting a spring with his 16-year-old son, and his last words were 'Run, run my son, save yourself.' He noted that two days before that Reserve Officer Neria Leiter was wounded in Jerusalem. Netanyahu thanked President Trump for his partnership in the struggle.

Netanyahu claimed that an 'eighth front' of war over truth is taking place on social media, and said that Qatar was the first to fund American universities and channels like Al Jazeera to influence public opinion. He called Turkish President Erdogan a tyrant who hosts Hamas leaders, murdered Kurdish civilians, denies the Armenian genocide and illegally occupies northern Cyprus. According to him, Israel sent Gaza millions of text messages and flyers, supplied a million polio vaccines and allowed a million tons of food to enter, a ton per capita. He accused Emmadani of praising criminals who supported Hamas and of liking a post calling for erasing Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu held up a Starlink satellite device in the assembly, called it a tool for reaching truth and offered to transfer it to Iran's delegation, and claimed that Iran's regime will eventually fall. In a separate speech at the same assembly, Palestinian Authority President Abu Mazen attacked the Israeli occupation of Gaza and described a genocide war. French President Emmanuel Macron called the situation of Palestinians in Gaza 'a spectacle that shames all of us' and condemned Israeli actions in Judea and Samaria, and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham condemned the October 7 massacre but said that too many people have been killed, including many children.