After being repeatedly convicted as a war criminal by other world leaders during the current meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now having his turn talking on the world stage on Friday.
Many delegates left when Netanyahu approached the podium.
Before leaving Tel Aviv on Thursday, he promised to adopt a solid position against countries that had formally announced their support for an independent Palestinian state during the annual global summit.
“I will condemn those leaders who, instead of denouncing the murderers, rapists and burners of children, want to give them a state in the heart of the land of Israel,” he said. “This will not happen.”
“This is an important visit to the state of Israel, especially at this time, when on the UN podium, one listens to too many false voices,” said Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, in a publication about X.
“The discourse of the Prime Minister in the General Assembly will strengthen our position and clarify to the world: Israel is fighting on all fronts, and its safety is not open to debate,” Danon added.
Hours before his speech, the Netanyahu office announced that his speech to the UN General Assembly would be broadcast live on speakers directed to Gaza from the Israeli side of the border.
“As part of the informative effort, the prime minister’s office has instructed the civil agencies, in cooperation with the IDF, to place speakers in trucks on the Israeli side of the border of Gaza only, with the aim of transmitting the historical discourse of Prime Minister Netanyahu today in the UN Assembly in the Gaza Strip,” said a statement.
In addition to an icy reception of the heads of state opposite to the ongoing military campaign of Israel in Gaza, it is expected that Netanyahu in front of protests while in New York.
The family members of some of the hostages held in Gaza have announced plans to demonstrate outside the UN Headquarters during Prime Minister’s speech, asking Netanyahu and other leaders who prioritize the release of hostages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes gestures during a joint press conference with the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, at the Prime Minister’s office, during Rubio’s visit, in Jerusalem, on September 15, 2025.
Nathan Howard/Pool through AP
An isolated Israel
Even before Netanyahu arrived in New York, Israel’s isolation at the United Nations was evident.
Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar described Israel as a “dishonest government” during his speech before the assembly on Tuesday, calling Israeli air attack on Hamas’ leadership in Doha at the beginning of this month a “treacherous attack”.
“They visit our country and plan to attack it. They negotiate with delegations and plan to kill the members of the negotiation teams. It is difficult to cooperate with such a mentality that it does not respect the slightest standards of cooperation,” he said. “It’s impossible.”
The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, denounced the war in Gaza during his comments by opening the general debate.
“The Death and Destruction Scale is beyond any other conflict in my years as Secretary General,” he said.
“Nothing can justify the horrible terrorist attacks of Hamas on October 7 and the hostage taking, which I have repeatedly condemned. And nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” Guterres added.
He also asked Israel to fully comply with the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice, which require Israel to take measures to avoid genocide in Gaza.
The Israeli government has long sustained that the United Nations are biased against Israel and has denied having violated international law.
However, the decisions of another global court, the International Criminal Court (ICC), may have altered Netanyahu’s travel plans.
The ICC has issued an arrest warrant against Israeli prime minister, and flight data from his trip to New York showed that his plane took an indirect route to New York, avoiding the airspace of countries that could enforce the order.
The Israel government has not commented why the longest route was selected.
Both Israel and the United States are not part of the Rome Statute, which is the treaty that established the CPI and has not consented to its jurisdiction. The Trump administration has also taken several measures to penalize the ICC for issuing arrest orders for the arrests of Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials.
President Donald Trump talks to the press before signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on September 25, 2025.
Saul Loeb/AFP through Getty Images
Netanyahu returns to Washington
While in the United States, Netanyahu is also scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington, marking the fourth time that both have gathered face to face since Trump’s return to the White House.
This private meeting can be much more consistent for Israel and the Middle East than Netanyahu’s speech on the global stage.
American and Israelis officials say that leaders are expected to discuss what actions of retaliation Israel can take in response to the growing impulse to recognize a Palestinian state in the UN.
The two also made a phone call on Thursday, according to the White House.
Although Trump and Netanyahu are close allies, the meeting comes at a time when both have divergent agendas. The prime minister has been contemplating that annexing additional territory in the West Bank, something that the president has promised that he will not allow it.
“I will not allow Israel to annex to the West Bank. No, I will not allow it,” Trump said Thursday. “It won’t happen.”
The president also expressed a renewed hope of an agreement to resolve the conflict and free Gaza’s hostages, predicting that “soon” could happen.
