On September 26, 2025, the streets of New York City pulsed with the chants and footsteps of thousands of protesters as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). While the annual gathering of world leaders is typically marked by diplomatic speeches and polite applause, this year’s event was anything but routine. Instead, it became a dramatic stage for international outrage, political theater, and the deepening isolation of Israel as the war in Gaza rages into its second year.
As Netanyahu prepared to speak inside the iconic UN hall, a sea of demonstrators surged from Times Square toward the UN complex on the East River. Palestinian flags waved alongside those of Colombia and Ireland—countries that have vocally supported the Palestinian cause. Protesters’ voices rang out with cries of “free Palestine” and “arms embargo now,” their numbers swelling in a show of solidarity that echoed far beyond Manhattan’s busy streets. According to Al Jazeera, the protest was coordinated in part by the Palestine Youth Movement – NYC, whose member Nasreen Issa said, “Protests play an important role in generating the political will that can make real change happen.”
Inside the UN, the scene was just as striking, albeit much quieter. As Netanyahu took the podium on the fourth day of the General Debate, dozens of diplomats and officials—representing Arab and Muslim nations, several African countries, and some Europeans—stood up and walked out. According to Getty Images and multiple eyewitnesses, the vast majority of seats in the General Assembly Hall were left empty, a visual rebuke of the Israeli leader at a moment when Israel’s international standing has rarely been more precarious.
The snub was not limited to the UN’s walls. Nearby, diplomats from 34 countries convened as part of the Hague Group, a coalition focused on halting the war in Gaza. Their agenda was clear: move beyond statements and symbolism to consider concrete measures, including sanctions, against Israel for its ongoing assault on the Palestinian territory. As reported by Al Jazeera, Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour delivered a stark warning: “We are out of time because if we fail to act, children are killed. Palestinian children are killed, starved, orphaned, burned and traumatised, families are shattered, life is destroyed, lands are stolen and territories are annexed.”
The Hague Group meeting included representatives from Colombia, South Africa, Qatar, Turkiye, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Ireland, Spain, and Uruguay. Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira stressed the obligations of international law, saying, “International law requires states not only to refrain from committing genocide, but also to prevent it. Failure to do so may give rise to state responsibility, including for complicity in genocide. Time has come for States to fulfil their obligations under the Genocide Convention by adopting effective measures to ensure that they do not, directly or indirectly, collaborate with its perpetrators.”
Outside the UN’s security perimeter, the mood among protesters was both defiant and somber. Al-Sharif Nassef, participating in the protest, told Al Jazeera, “All the New Yorkers who are here today support his arrest. He is not welcome here. And Inshallah [God willing], under the new mayorship, he will be arrested as soon as he steps forward in New York City.” This sentiment referenced a pledge made earlier in September by Zohran Mamadani, the New York Democratic mayoral nominee, who promised to enforce the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant against Netanyahu. However, as legal experts and observers quickly noted, the United States is not a party to the ICC, raising significant doubts about whether such an arrest could actually be carried out by local authorities.
Among the demonstrators, creative signs and pointed questions abounded. Meagan Fredette, a New Yorker, held a cardboard placard reading, “Is baby formula Hamas???”—a biting commentary on Israel’s restrictions on food items entering Gaza. The blockade and ongoing military campaign have, according to a UN-backed monitor, plunged Gaza into deadly famine. Fredette did not mince words, telling Al Jazeera, “I feel angry. It’s embarrassing that he’s here. He doesn’t deserve to be here. He’s a literal, wanted criminal. New Yorkers were not happy that he’s here.”
When the protesters reached the UN, they were met by a small group of pro-Israel counterprotesters waving Israeli flags. Police kept the two groups separated, and when tempers flared, law enforcement quickly intervened to maintain order.
Back inside the UN, Netanyahu’s speech was met with little fanfare. Applause came from just one section of the upper gallery, leading some to speculate whether those clapping were guests of the Israeli mission. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric offered a diplomatic response, saying, “Every delegation is allowed to bring in guests.”
In a move that drew sharp criticism from human rights advocates, Netanyahu’s office announced on social media that the Israeli military had taken control of the phones of Gaza residents and Hamas members, livestreaming his speech directly to their devices. Loudspeakers were also set up around the Gaza Strip to broadcast his address. “In an unprecedented action, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu … has announced that the [Israeli military] took control of the telephones of Gaza residents and Hamas members, and that his speech is now being broadcast live via the telephones,” his office posted. When asked by Al Jazeera to comment on the use of a UN function as a tool to taunt a population under siege, Dujarric declined, stating, “I have no specific comment on that. I think the focus should be on alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people, getting more humanitarian aid in, and getting the hostages out.”
Netanyahu’s speech itself was resolute, if controversial. He declared, “Israel will finish the job” in Gaza “as quickly as possible,” and called on Hamas leaders to surrender, lay down their weapons, and release the hostages. But his words landed in a hall emptied by protest, and outside, the world’s condemnation was growing louder. According to Axios, UN week began with 10 countries—including France, the U.K., and Canada—formally recognizing a Palestinian state, a signal of shifting allegiances and mounting frustration with Israel’s conduct.
The human toll of the war was impossible to ignore. As of September 2025, more than 65,500 people have been killed in Gaza, including around 20,000 children, and the territory itself has been reduced to rubble. The suffering has prompted calls from diplomats and activists alike for urgent international intervention. The Trump administration’s decision to deny Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a visa to address the UN in person only sharpened the sense of injustice, though the General Assembly ultimately voted overwhelmingly to allow him to speak remotely. In his remarks, Abbas insisted that Palestinians would never leave Gaza, no matter the hardships they have endured.
As the day came to a close, the message from New York was unmistakable: the world is watching, and the pressure on Israel—and those who support it—is mounting. Whether through protests in the streets, diplomatic walkouts, or the growing chorus of nations recognizing Palestine, the demand for accountability and peace is only growing stronger.
