Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest appearance at the United Nations General Assembly on September 26, 2025, was anything but routine. With the Gaza conflict raging into its second year and international criticism reaching a fever pitch, Netanyahu seized the global stage not to placate his detractors, but to confront them head-on. The result was a spectacle of defiance, showmanship, and deepening diplomatic rifts that left the world watching—and wondering about the future of Israel’s standing.
As Netanyahu took the podium, the atmosphere was already charged. According to the Associated Press, he arrived in New York via a circuitous route that purposefully avoided European airspace, an effort to minimize the risk of arrest linked to International Criminal Court investigations. Outside the United Nations headquarters, thousands of protesters waved Palestinian flags and chanted against what they described as Israel’s genocide in Gaza, reported AP and BBC. The streets near Times Square were clogged as demonstrators blocked traffic, underscoring the passions the conflict continues to ignite far beyond the Middle East.
Inside the UN chamber, the tension was palpable. As Netanyahu began his address, diplomats from dozens of countries—led by Muslim, Arab, African, and Latin American delegations, with several Europeans following—rose from their seats and walked out in protest. Only the United States, a handful of Pacific allies, and a smattering of others remained, leaving the hall conspicuously empty except for a vocal group of Netanyahu’s supporters. The mass exodus was a potent symbol: as Reuters noted, Israel is now more isolated on the world stage than at any point in recent memory.
Netanyahu, however, was undeterred. He delivered his remarks with characteristic bravado, deploying a suite of dramatic props and visual aids that have become his trademark at the UN. As described by AP and BBC, he unfurled a map labeled “THE CURSE,” methodically using a thick black marker to cross out Iranian proxies and highlight countries where Israel has fought its enemies over the past two years. He held up cards with multiple-choice questions, asking, “Who shouts ‘Death to America’?” before answering: “All of the above”—a reference to Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Yemen’s Houthi militia. At one point, he pinned a white badge with a QR code to his lapel, linking directly to footage from the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
But Netanyahu’s performance was more than political theater. His speech was broadcast live into Gaza using loudspeakers mounted on trucks and cranes along the border, and, according to his office, the Israeli army hacked into the phones of Gazans—including Hamas operatives—to ensure his words reached their intended audience. “Our brave heroes, we have not forgotten you for a single second. We will not rest until we bring you home,” Netanyahu declared, addressing Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. To their captors, his warning was stark: “Lay down your arms. Free the hostages. If you do, you will live. If you don’t, Israel will hunt you down.”
Netanyahu’s message was uncompromising. He vowed that Israel would not stop its military campaign until Hamas was defeated and its strongholds in Gaza dismantled. “We’re not done yet,” he said, framing the struggle as existential—not just for Israel, but for the broader fight against terrorism. He accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields and stealing food aid, dismissing allegations of enforced starvation in Gaza as “not based on facts.” According to BBC, he stated, “If there are Gazans who don’t have enough food, it’s because Hamas is stealing it.”
The Israeli leader reserved some of his harshest criticism for Western allies. He denounced France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia for their recent decisions to formally recognize the state of Palestine—moves that came just months after the October 7 attack. Calling these recognitions a “mark of shame,” Netanyahu accused these countries of rewarding terror. “The message you sent is clear—murdering Jews pays off,” he charged, a line that drew applause from his supporters in the gallery and condemnation from many others.
Netanyahu also accused Iran of driving instability throughout the region, linking Tehran’s influence to the actions of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. “This is not an indictment of Israel; it is an indictment of you,” he told the assembled (and rapidly departing) diplomats, blaming their lack of support for Israel’s predicament. He claimed that, behind closed doors, some of these same leaders privately thank Israel for intelligence that has protected their own cities from attacks.
The reaction to Netanyahu’s address was immediate and polarized. Supporters, such as Brooke Goldstein of The Lawfare Project, echoed his framing, arguing that Western recognition of a Palestinian state after October 7 was as reckless as giving Al-Qaeda or ISIS a state. On Instagram, Goldstein wrote, “Israel’s security is non-negotiable—and it’s past time the West listened to the words of the terrorists themselves and stopped rewarding them.” She and others argued that the battle is not just military, but also a “war of narratives,” with misinformation and propaganda fueling global antagonism against Israel.
Critics, on the other hand, saw Netanyahu’s speech as further evidence of Israel’s diplomatic isolation and a lack of a long-term plan for peace. Human rights groups condemned his remarks for ignoring the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the mounting civilian death toll. As Reuters and AP reported, some Israeli commentators argued that Netanyahu’s focus on props and rhetoric was more about shoring up his domestic support—and currying favor with U.S. President Donald Trump, whom he was scheduled to meet days later—than about offering solutions for Gaza’s future.
The speech also left many questions unanswered. Netanyahu did not lay out a clear vision for what would happen in Gaza once the fighting stops, nor how Israel might rebuild its strained relationships with former allies. The United States remains Israel’s principal backer, but even Washington has expressed growing concern about the war’s humanitarian costs and the lack of a political roadmap.
For Netanyahu’s supporters, his address was a display of strength and moral clarity—a leader standing firm in the face of global pressure. For critics, it was a troubling sign of Israel’s increasing isolation and the hardening of positions that could make peace even more elusive. As the dust settled in New York, one thing was clear: Netanyahu had chosen confrontation over conciliation, and the consequences of that choice will echo far beyond the walls of the United Nations.
The world now waits to see whether Israel’s defiance will secure its future—or leave it more alone than ever before.
