Netanyahu defies UN walkout, vows to ‘finish the job’ in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly on Friday that Israel “must finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza, giving a defiant UN speech despite growing international isolation over his refusal to end the devastating war in Gaza.

He spoke after dozens of delegates from multiple nations walked out of the UN General Assembly hall en masse on Friday as he prepared to speak.

As the Israeli leader spoke, unintelligible shouts echoed around the hall, while applause rang out in other quarters of the room. The US delegation, which has backed Netanyahu in his campaign against Hamas, stayed put. The few world powers there, the United States and the United Kingdom, did not send their most senior officials or even their UN ambassador to their section. Instead, it was filled out with more junior, low-level diplomats.

“Antisemitism dies hard. In fact, it doesn’t die at all,” Netanyahu said. Netanyahu routinely accuses his critics of antisemitism.

As he has often in the past, Netanyahu held up a visual aid – a map of the region titled “THE CURSE”. He ascended the podium wearing a special hostages pin with a QR code that leads to a site about October 7 that was established specially for international public diplomacy needs. The members of the Prime Minister’s delegation, ministers and those accompanying him are also wearing identical pins.

Netanyahu also frequently praised President Donald Trump, his chief ally in his political and military approach in the region. Netanyahu said the changes across the Mideast have created new opportunities. He said Israel had begun negotiations with Syria aimed at reaching security arrangements with the country’s new government.