Dozens of delegates leave hall during Netanyahu's UN speech — Dawn
In New York, United States, dozens of delegates left the UN General Assembly hall when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his speech. Protests against his government's policies and the war in Gaza were taking place outside the UN building at the same time, Dawn reports.
The diplomats leaving the hall left a significant number of seats empty. In his speech, Netanyahu accused his critics of hypocrisy and called them moral cowards. He rejected accusations of genocide in Gaza, saying that Israel had allegedly prevented genocide rather than committed it, and also defended the country's military actions in Gaza and other parts of the region.
Dispute with New York mayor
The Israeli prime minister devoted part of his speech to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Netanyahu called him the antisemitic mayor of New York and accused him of spreading what he described as lies about Israel.
Mamdani, who did not join the street protests, said after the speech that Netanyahu had repeated unfounded claims intended to justify what he called the genocide of Palestinians. He also recalled that Netanyahu is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant in a case concerning war crimes and crimes against humanity. The mayor had previously noted that New York has no authority to execute this warrant.
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Protests and detentions
Jewish and Muslim activists, supporters of Palestine, human rights advocates, politicians, artists and musicians protested in different parts of Manhattan. The largest action near the UN was organized by the New York chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace. Hundreds of participants sat on the roadway at the corner of First Avenue and 39th Street, calling for an end to US support for Israel.
Police began clearing the road and detaining participants. At first, at least 30 people were reported detained; later, police said that more than 100 protesters had been taken into custody. Those detained included actresses Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder, congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, and City Council member Chi Ossé.
A separate demonstration was held by progressive Jewish organizations calling for a ceasefire and accountability for alleged war crimes. They were confronted by Netanyahu supporters. The ultra-Orthodox anti-Zionist group Neturei Karta also took part in the protests.
