U.S. Secretary of War / Flickr
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his Sept. 26 address to the United Nations General Assembly to demand the release of hostages, declare Israel would not accept a Palestinian state, and reject accusations of genocide in Gaza. He said the speech was carried into Gaza by loudspeakers and pushed onto residents’ cellphones.
At the beginning of the speech, he said that the unprecedented broadcasting move was meant to speak directly to the hostages held in Gaza.
“I want to do something I’ve never done before. I want to speak from this forum directly to those hostages through loudspeakers,” Netanyahu told the assembly. “I’ve surrounded Gaza with massive loudspeakers connected to this microphone, in the hope that our dear hostages will hear my message.”
He added his words were “streamed live through the cell phones of Gazans.”
“Our brave heroes — this is Prime Minister Netanyahu speaking to you live from the United Nations,” he said. “We have not forgotten you. Not even for a second. The people of Israel are with you. We will not falter, and we will not rest, until we bring all of you home.”
Turning to Hamas, Netanyahu demanded the release of all hostages, saying, “Lay down your arms. Let my people go! Free the hostages! All of them. The whole 48. Free the hostages now! If you do, you will live. If you don’t, Israel will hunt you down.”
He added that the war could end “if Hamas agrees to our demands, the war could end right now. Gaza would be demilitarized, Israel would retain overriding security control, and a peaceful civilian authority would be established by Gazans and others committed to peace with Israel.”
Moments before Netanyahu began his speech, dozens of UN delegates walked out of the UN hall, leaving rows of empty seats.
In the address, Netanyahu touted Israel’s military campaigns, saying the military “destroyed Assad’s armaments in Syria,” “deterred Iran’s Shiite militias in Iraq,” and “devastated Iran’s atomic weapons.”
“Half the Houthi leadership in Yemen — gone. Yahya Sinwar in Gaza — gone. Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon — gone. The Assad regime in Syria — gone. Those Militias in Iraq? Well, they’re still deterred. And their leaders, if they attack Israel, will also be gone,” he said before listing off other military attacks.
Earlier in his speech, Netanyahu criticized Western countries that have recently recognized Palestinian statehood, calling the moves “sheer madness” and likening it to “giving Al-Qaeda a state one mile from New York City after September 11th.”
“This is sheer madness. It’s insane, and we won’t do it,” he said. “So here’s another message for these Western leaders: Israel will not allow you to shove a terror state down our throats. We will not commit national suicide because you don’t have the guts to face down a hostile media and antisemitic mobs demanding Israel’s blood.”
“I say to the representatives of those nations, this is not an indictment of Israel. It’s an indictment of you. It’s an indictment of weakness. Leaders who appease evil rather than support a nation whose brave soldiers guard you from the barbarians at the gate. They’re already penetrating your gates. When will you learn?”
He contrasted this response with that of President Donald Trump, whom he said “understands better than any other leader that Israel and America face a common threat.”
“He showed the world that when Iran and its proxies murder Americans, take Americans hostage, shout Death to America, burn American flags, and try to assassinate the President of the United States — not once, but twice,” Netanyahu continued. “He showed them there is a price to pay for all that.”
He denounced accusations of genocide and starvation in Gaza as “blood libels,” arguing Israel has tried to protect civilians.
“Would a country committing genocide plead with the civilian population it is supposedly targeting to get out of harm’s way?” he asked. “For Israel, every civilian casualty is a tragedy. For Hamas, it’s a strategy.”
The prime minister also said that “nearly 90% of Palestinians supported the attack on October 7th.”
“They celebrated. They danced on the rooftops, they threw candies,” he continued, saying that the Palestinians “don’t want a state next to Israel. They want a Palestinian state instead of Israel.”
He also said that because the “Palestinian Authority is corrupt to the core,” Christians have fared poorly under the leadership.
“When Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, was under Israeli control, 80% of its residents were Christians,” he said. “But since the PA took control, that number has dwindled to under 20%.”
Netanyahu vowed Israel would not accept a Palestinian state and called this a “policy of the state and people of the State of Israel.”
He said Israel had allowed more than two million tons of food and aid into Gaza — “one ton of aid for every man, woman, and child” — but accused Hamas of looting supplies.
In closing, he said, “On October 7, the enemies of Israel tried to extinguish our light. Two years later, the resolve of Israel burns brighter than ever. With God’s help, that strength and that resolve will lead us to a speedy victory and to a brilliant future of prosperity and peace.”
