Protesters rallied outside the United Nations building in New York and many delegates inside walked out of the room as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a fiery address to the General Assembly, denying allegations of genocide and slamming his critics, including the city’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani.

He called allegations of Israeli genocide in Gaza “the biggest lie of the century” and defended attacking Iran alongside the U.S., calling it “one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make.” He added: “if we hadn’t done it we’d all be dead.”

In his Thursday speech he lashed out against the protesters outside – who included Hollywood stars Susan Sarandon and Hacks actress Hannah Einbinder, both detained during the anti-Netanyahu protest – calling them “phoney” and asking why they hadn’t all protested when Iranian security forces killed thousands of demonstrators in January.

He also berated the dozens of U.N. delegates who walked out when he started his speech, calling them “moral cowards.”

Netanyahu then attacked Mayor Mamdani, who has called him a war criminal and pushed for federal authorities to act on the International Criminal Court-issued arrest warrant for him.

The Israeli leader called Mamdani, New York’s first Muslim mayor, “antisemitic.”

“Mr. Mamdani, you tried to stop me from coming here. You tried to silence me. Well, you can’t silence me and you can’t silence the truth,” Netanyahu said in his speech.

In a statement responding to Netanyahu’s criticism, Mamdani dismissed the Israeli leader’s speech as “baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide against Palestinians.”

Palestinian leader’s address

The Israeli leader’s comments came after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas delivered his address via a recorded video. The Trump administration had denied a visa to Abbas, on the grounds that the Palestinian leadership is undermining the prospects for peace, even though Abbas has been consistent in his call for a settlement with Israel. It’s the second year in a row the U.S. has denied Abbas a visa for the assembly.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks via pre-recorded video after being denied a visa to attend in person during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026.

Seth Wenig/AP

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Seth Wenig/AP

In his address, Abbas condemned Israeli actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and again called for a two-state solution. “We seek a democratic Palestinian state that respects the rule of law and human rights, a non-militarized state that lives in security and peace alongside the state of Israel,” he said.