Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel was winning the battle against its enemies and tore into the United Nations General Assembly in a Friday speech, accusing the body of being a “house of darkness.”
Netanyahu began his speech by stating that he did not intend to come to the UN this year, but changed his mind because he felt Israel was being slandered.
“I decided to come here to speak for my people, to speak for my country, to speak for the truth,” Netanyahu said. “And here is the truth: Israel seeks peace. Israel yearns for peace. Israel has made peace, and will make peace again.”
“And I have another message for this assembly and for the world outside this hall: We are winning.”
Netanyahu also slammed the UN for its long-standing bias against Israel, which he said has gone into overdrive since October 7.
Calling the UN a “house of darkness” and “a swamp of anti-Semitic bile,” Netanyahu pointed out that there have been more anti-Israel resolutions passed against Israel in the UN than the entire world combined.
“What hypocrisy, what a double standard, what a joke,” Netanyahu said.
“It’s not about Gaza … it’s always been about Israel. … The UN will be viewed by fair-minded people everywhere as nothing more than a contemptuous farce.”
“So all the speeches you heard today, all the hostility directed at Israel this year, not about Gaza. It’s about Israel. It’s always been about Israel, about Israel’s very existence.”
Netanyahu referenced the story of Moses, wherein the ancient Jewish leader said to the Israelites that the actions they choose will determine if they bless or curse future generations.
“That is the choice we face today: The curse of Iran’s unremitting aggression, or the blessing of a historic reconciliation between Arab and Jew.”
Netanyahu unveiled a “map of a blessing,” showing the potential for Israel and Arab partners to form a land bridge to connect Europe and Asia with rail lines, energy pipelines, and fiber optic cables.
Showing a second map “of a curse,” Netanyahu highlighted Iranian influence in the region.
“Iran’s malignant arc has shut down international waterways. It cuts off trade. It destroys nations from within and inflicts misery on millions.” he said, adding that Iran’s aggression endangers every other country in the Middle East.
“Which of these two maps that I showed you will shape our future?” Netanyahu asked. “Will it be the blessings of peace and prosperity for Israel, our Arab partners, and the rest of the world? Or will it be the curse in which Iran and its proxy spread carnage and chaos everywhere?”
Netanyahu called on the UN Security Council to place sanctions on Iran to help ensure that Iran never gets nuclear weapons.
“Our actions delayed this program by perhaps a decade, but we haven’t stopped it,” Netanyahu said. “For the sake of the peace and security of the entire world, we must not let that happen and I assure you, Israel will do everything in its power to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
Netanyahu retold the story of Hamas’ deadly October 7 massacre, where terrorists murdered, raped, and kidnapped Israeli civilians.
The prime minister laid the blame for the attacks on Iran, which has funded the terrorist groups attacking Israel, including the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah. He mentioned Iran’s direct attack on Israel in April.
“I have a message for the tyrants of Tehran: If you strike us, we will strike you,” he said. “There is no place in Iran that the long arm of Israel cannot reach and that’s true of the entire Middle East.”
Netanyahu announced its successful crippling of Hamas, which previously had 40,000 terrorists, with 15,000 rockets and 350 miles of tunnels.
“A year later, the IDF has killed or captured more than half of these terrorists, destroyed over 90% of their rocket arsenal, and eliminated the key segments of their terror tunnel network. In major military operations, we destroyed nearly all of Hamas’s terror battalions.”
To complete Israel’s victory, Netanyahu said the focus is “‘mopping up” the remaining terror group’s capabilities and returning the remaining hostages home.
Netanyahu advocated for the release of the remaining 101 hostages in Gaza, wearing a yellow ribbon pin representing those held in captivity.
“We will return your loved ones home,” He said to the families. “We will not spare that effort until this holy mission is accomplished.”
The prime minister brought several relatives of Israelis held hostage by Hamas to the speech. Among his guests were Eli Shtivi, whose son Idan was kidnapped from the Supernova festival, and Kobi Samerano whose son Yonatan’s body is held hostage.
Other guests included Salem Alatrash, whose Arab-Israeli soldier brother Mohammad was murdered and had his body taken hostage, and Yifat Haiman, whose 27-year-old daughter Inbar was murdered after being taken hostage at the festival. Sharon Sharabi, the sister of hostages Yossi and Eli, and Yizhar Lifschitz, whose 83-year-old father Oded who was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz with his wife — who was freed in November— were also in attendance.
Netanyahu said Hamas still exercises governing power by stealing humanitarian food brought into Gaza and selling it to make a profit.
“If Hamas stays in power, it will regroup, rearm, and attack Israel again and again and again as it is vowed to do so,” he said. “Hamas has got to go.”
Netanyahu said Israel will reject any deal where Hamas is allowed to rule, adding that Israel does not have intentions of Israelis resettling Gaza. He said the chief goal is to deradicalize Gaza.
“This war can come to an end now, all that has to happen is for Hamas to surrender, lay down its arms, and release the hostages but if they don’t we will fight until we achieve victory — total victory— there is no substitute for it.”
Netanyahu said Israel is determined to defeat Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying that the terror group has murdered more Americans and French men “than any group except Bin Laden.”
He pointed out that Hezbollah joined the fight against Israel the day after October 7, “completely unprovoked.”
Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of turning vibrant northern communities into “ghost towns” through its near-daily rocket attacks, which have forced 60,000 Israelis from their homes in the north.
“Israel has been tolerating this intolerable situation for nearly a year,” the Jewish state’s leader said. “Well, I’ve come here today to say enough is enough. We won’t rest until our citizens can return safely to their homes.”
He pointed out that Hezbollah has been violating UN Security Council Resolution 1701 which requires it to not have forces south of the Litani river, something it has done for nearly 20 years.
Netanyahu said Israel is not at war with Lebanon, but with Hezbollah, which has “hijacked” the country.
Turning to building peace with neighbors, Netanyahu said he hopes to achieve a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia, as he has already done with other Gulf countries through the Abraham Accords.
“What blessings such a peace with Saudi Arabia would bring,” Netanyahu said. “It would be a boon to the security and economy of our two countries. It would boost trade and tourism across the region. It would help transform the Middle East into a global juggernaut. Our two countries could cooperate on energy, water, agriculture, artificial intelligence, and many, many other fields.”
He added that the best way to disturb Iran’s “nefarious designs” is to achieve “such a peace” that could be brokered with the help of the United States.
Representatives of Saudi Arabia and Iran were not present during Netanyahu’s speech.
Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress in July where he proposed an “Abrahamic Alliance” to expand upon the Abraham Accords and combat Iran and its proxies.
He said Israel will win its current battles because the country does not have a choice.
“After generations in which our people were slaughtered, remorselessly butchered and no one raised a finger in our defense, we now have a state. We now have a brave army — an army of incomparable courage and we are defending ourselves.”
“Am Yisrael Chai, the people of Israel live, now, tomorrow, forever,” he concluded.
Israel launched Operation Northern Arrows this week to take on Hezbollah and ensure that Israelis can return to their homes after 11 months of displacement.
The IDF has so far struck over 2,000 Hezbollah targets during its operation, including several civilian homes that doubled as rocket storage and launch sites, according to IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.
The Biden administration pushed for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah this week. Netanyahu’s office expressed gratitude for the efforts, but continued with its operation, reiterating its goal of returning its citizens to their homes in the north.
Israel secured $8.7 billion in U.S. aid for its ongoing military efforts, including $3.5 billion for essential wartime procurement and $5.2 billion for its air defense systems, Netanyahu’s office announced Thursday.
Protests erupted in New York City Thursday night ahead of Netanyahu’s address, with protesters chanting, “We’re going to get you!” outside of the Loews Regency New York Hotel, where they believed Netanyahu was staying. Over two dozen protesters were arrested, the New York Post reported.
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