Israeli leader at UN: ‘We’re going to win. We have no other choice’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly that Israel’s strikes against Iran were necessary for national survival, calling the decision one of the easiest he has made as leader. He framed the action as a preventative measure, stating that failure to act would have resulted in catastrophic consequences for Israel and others. His remarks came shortly after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the Assembly via video link, having been denied entry to the United States.

Netanyahu dismissed accusations of genocide in Gaza, asserting that Israel’s military operations aimed to defeat Hamas while minimizing civilian harm. He highlighted Israel’s efforts to reduce casualties through evacuation warnings, humanitarian aid deliveries, and vaccination campaigns, including over a million polio vaccinations and two million tons of food distributed in Gaza.

Addressing violence in the West Bank, Netanyahu described it as the work of a small number of individuals he termed “juvenile delinquents,” claiming casualties there number only two or three per year. He also accused international media, social media platforms, and certain governments—naming Qatar and Türkiye—of spreading anti-Israel and antisemitic narratives to undermine Israel’s resolve.

The Prime Minister emphasized that Israel has been engaged in simultaneous conflicts across seven fronts, including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran, and militias in Iraq and Syria, with an “eighth front” comprising international criticism. He vowed that Israel would prevail despite what he described as a coordinated campaign of lies aimed at weakening the country’s position.