In Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday morning, he painted a picture of a nation abandoned by its allies, who he said had caved to “radical Islamist constituencies and antisemitic mobs” — a message underscored by the backdrop of a mostly empty General Assembly room, following the walkout of dozens of diplomats at the start of his speech. 

Netanyahu began with a victory lap, hailing Israel’s military successes against Hezbollah, Iran and even Hamas over the past year. But much of the speech was defensive in nature, relying on rhetoric he has invoked frequently over the last two years. He articulated the reasons why Israel is still fighting Hamas, despite the fact that Israel “crushed the bulk of Hamas’ terror machine.” And he attacked the U.N. and the countries that he said had shown up for Israel in the days after the Oct. 7 attack but that have since changed course. 

“In the days immediately following Oct. 7, many of them supported Israel. But that support quickly evaporated when Israel did what any self-respecting nation would do in the wake of such a savage attack: We fought back,” he said. 

He defended Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza as moral and appropriate, saying the nation faces “the false of charge of genocide.” 

“The truth has been turned on its head. Hamas is a genocidal terrorist organization whose charter calls for the murder of all Jews on the planet. This genocidal organization is given a pass while Israel, which does everything it can to get civilians out of harm’s way, Israel is put in the dark. What a joke,” said Netanyahu. 

Known for his theatrics in his annual U.N. address, Netanyahu wore a large button with a QR code that linked to a website featuring gruesome videos of Hamas’ attack on southern Israel two years ago. He also told the crowd that he had directed the IDF to set up loudspeakers to broadcast his speech out loud on the Gaza border, a measure he said was meant as an attempt to reach Israeli hostages still held in Gaza — and that the remarks were being carried live on the cell phones of Gazans, to convince Hamas to “lay down your arms.”

Netanyahu repeatedly invoked the Sept. 11 terror attacks and the global war on terror as proof of the depravity Israel is fighting in Gaza.

“Giving the Palestinians a state one mile from Jerusalem after Oct. 7 is like giving Al-Qaida a state one mile from New York City after Sept. 11. This is sheer madness. It’s insane, and we won’t do it,” said Netanyahu. The Israeli prime minister has doubled down in his pledge to never allow the creation a Palestinian state after France, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada unilaterally recognized a Palestinian state this week.

He slammed those nations, saying their move “reward[s] the worst antisemites on earth.” They chose to recognize a Palestinian state, Netanyahu said angrily, even though “nearly 90% of Palestinians supported the attack on Oct. 7 …  just the way they celebrated another horror, 9/11.” 

Netanyahu offered little to those who want to see Israel present a plan for the end of the war and for the governance of Gaza without Hamas, though he said Israeli “victory” would open opportunities for peace in the region. 

“Victory over Hamas will make peace possible with nations throughout the Arab and Muslim world. Our victory would lead to a dramatic extension and expansion of the historic Abraham Accords, which President Trump brokered between Arab leaders and myself five years ago,” said Netanyahu. He did not address whether he would move to annex parts of the West Bank, which Saudi Arabia — Israel’s top target for normalization — said earlier this week would be a “red line,” and that President Donald Trump said yesterday he will not allow. 

He closed with a prayer for a speedy victory, even if Israel has to achieve it alone.

“The rise of Israel did not mean that the attempts to destroy us would end. It meant that we could fight back against those attempts, and that is exactly what Israel has done since Oct. 7,” said Netanyahu. “Two years later, the resolve of Israel and the strength of Israel burn brighter than ever. With God’s help, that strength and that resolve will lead us to a speedy victory into a brilliant future of prosperity and peace.”