Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied carrying out genocide or deliberately targeting civilians during Israel’s military operation in Gaza, but said Israel “must finish the job” against Hamas.
Netanyahu’s defiant speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday dimmed any hopes of peace in Gaza despite growing international isolation of Israel over its refusal to end the war.
The Israeli prime minister spoke after dozens of delegates from multiple nations walked out of the UN General Assembly hall en masse Friday as he prepared to speak. The US delegation, which has backed Netanyahu in his campaign against Hamas, stayed put.
“Take the false charge of genocide. Israel is accused of deliberately targeting civilians. Ladies and gentlemen, the opposite is true,” he said amidst unintelligible shouts echoing around the hall.
Also Read: Netanyahu criticises Egypt over Sinai troop build up
Applause rang out in other quarters as he began his speech.
As he has often in the past, Netanyahu held up a map of the region, titled ‘THE CURSE’, marked up with a large marker.
Later, he pinned a QR code onto his suit jacket and held up a board with a multiple-choice question that he read to the audience.
“This charge is so baseless. The comparison to genocide, wholesale slaughter of populations. What did the Nazis ask the Jews to leave?” he said.
He also frequently praised President Donald Trump, his chief ally in his political and military approach in the region.
In yet another “unprecedented operation," the Israeli army will take over the mobile phones of Gaza residents and Hamas operatives and his speech will be broadcast live through the mobile devices.
A United Nations Commission of inquiry concluded last week that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, which Israel dismissed as “biased and based on unverified evidence”.
In almost two years of fighting since October 7, 2023, Israel’s offensive has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, as per Gaza health authorities. The occupied Gazan territory is now mostly flattened, its remaining population struck by hunger and famine.
South Africa brought a case at the International Court of Justice in the Hague, accusing Israel of genocide, which Netanyahu condemned as “outrageous”.
Besides international isolation, he faces accusations of war crimes and growing pressure to end a conflict he has continued to escalate.
Follow us
