Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday forcefully rejected accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza or using starvation as a weapon of war, insisting instead that his government has been delivering aid to Palestinians in the embattled territory.
“Those who peddle the blood libels of genocide against Israel are no better than those who peddled the blood libels against Jews in the Middle Ages,” Netanyahu declared in a fiery address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
He claimed that Israel had “crushed the bulk” of Hamas’s terror infrastructure and pledged to complete the campaign “as fast as possible.” Netanyahu also pointed to what he described as major strategic victories over the past year, including strikes against Iran’s nuclear program and the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon.
The Israeli leader’s appearance at the UN was met with a dramatic split reaction—a mass walkout by several delegations opposed to Israel’s war in Gaza, contrasted with applause from supporters who had been invited into the hall.
Delegates were called to order as Netanyahu opened his remarks, the first speech of the day at this year’s annual General Assembly.
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