25 September 2026 , 10:16
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described accusations that Israel committed genocide as ‘the biggest lie of the century’ during an address to the United Nations.
Dozens of delegates were seen booing and walking out of the UN General Assembly as Netanyahu took the podium in New York today.
‘If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t yet left this hall, please do so now,’ Netanyahu said.
His address came shortly after Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of pursuing a ‘malicious colonial plan’ aimed at driving Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank.
‘We will not leave our homeland. We will not accept displacement. And we will not allow anyone to decide our future on our behalf,’ Mr Abbas said.
Netanyahu defended Israel’s military actions, saying attacking Iran had been ‘one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make’ and insisted that Israel had no choice but to win.
He also thanked US President Donald Trump, calling him Israel’s ‘greatest partner’ before saying the two had worked together to launch the war against Iran ‘to save civilization’.
Addressing accusations of genocide, Netanyahu said: ‘Israel didn’t commit genocide; Israel prevented genocide.’
He also described the genocide accusation as ‘the biggest lie of the century’.
His address came after numerous world leaders condemned Israel’s conduct in Gaza and called for an end to the conflict in this week’s speeches.
Netanyahu also held up a pager during the speech while recalling Israel’s 2024 attack on thousands of devices used by Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The pager attacks killed 12 people, including two children, and wounded more than 3,000.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government, at least 73,922 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive.
Elsewhere in his address, Netanyahu dismissed the ‘exaggerated coverage’ of the war in Gaza.
He said: ‘What [the media] cover is a handful of young juvenile delinquents, about 150 in number, who go or throw stones, who chop down olive trees.
‘I can’t stand that. I won’t stand for vigilantism.’
World Affairs Correspondent