Netanyahu brands UN walkout delegates 'moral cowards' as Abbas warns of Palestinian expulsion

The UN General Assembly heard sharply opposing accounts of the conflict in Gaza and the occupied West Bank on Thursday, as Mahmoud Abbas addressed delegates by video and Benjamin Netanyahu used his podium speech to attack his critics and defend Israel's military campaigns.

Abbas, the Palestinian president, was denied a US visa for the second year in a row. The Trump administration accused his Palestinian Authority of glorifying terrorism and failing to carry out reforms. He spoke in a pre-recorded address from Ramallah and rejected what he called unlawful punitive measures. He said the Palestinian leadership had met its obligations, carried out a national reform programme, and remained committed to international law, non-violence and a two-state solution.

In his speech, Abbas said Palestinians faced one of the most dangerous moments in their history. He accused Israeli forces in Gaza of killing, destruction, starvation and attempts at displacement, and described a genocidal war that had created an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, he said settler expansion was accelerating, settler terrorism was escalating, and the territory was being fragmented. He warned that Israeli policies now threatened the very existence of Palestinians on their homeland, not just the two-state solution, and called on the international community not to allow another Nakba like 1948. Israeli delegates vacated their seats before his address, according to reports.

Abbas welcomed President Donald Trump's 20-point plan and Security Council Resolution 2803, but said none of it had materialised on the ground. He called for the second phase to be accelerated, for Israeli forces to withdraw from Gaza and for reconstruction to begin. He said the transitional period should lead to the reunification of Gaza and the West Bank under the authority of the State of Palestine, with one government, one law and one legitimate entity authorised to bear arms. He also warned against the E1 settlement plan, attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites, and pressure on UNRWA. He called on the US to lift restrictions on the Palestinian delegation and return to dialogue.

Later, Netanyahu took the podium to a walkout by dozens of delegates. He told them, 'If there are any other moral cowards who haven't yet left this hall, please do so now.' He said in defending itself Israel was also defending many of the countries whose delegates had left. He rejected allegations of genocide in Gaza as a lie, saying Israel did not commit genocide but prevented it. He called the accusation the biggest lie of the century. He defended Israel's joint strikes with the US on Iran as a battle against barbarians and said devastating Iran's nuclear facilities was one of the easiest decisions he had made.

Netanyahu also attacked New York's Democratic mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who had called for his arrest under an International Criminal Court warrant. He called him antisemitic and said 'shame on you' to critics for distorting facts and inverting victim and aggressor. He criticised Britain, which recently imposed sanctions on West Bank settlers, linking the move to its colonial past. His speech came weeks before an Israeli election, where he is trailing in the polls. Analysts said it was aimed mainly at a domestic audience and at voters who once saw him as Mr Security. The central election committee voted to block Arab parties from taking part, a move that has been overturned by the Supreme Court in the past.

Outside the UN, protesters gathered and some were arrested, including actor Susan Sarandon. The route to the UN was blockaded. Netanyahu's trip was unusually short. He did not meet President Trump, Israel's closest ally, and left New York about eight hours after arriving. The absence of a meeting was noted by Israeli media.

The speeches came amid stalled efforts to push Hamas disarmament and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. A US-led Board of Peace met on the sidelines to outline its vision for Gaza's future. The Palestinian Authority is not part of it in the immediate term. UN humanitarian officials said the main problems in Gaza were access for shelter materials, restrictions on items classified as dual use, and the coming winter. They warned that sewage, electricity and clean water remained major problems. In the West Bank, settler violence has reached a historic level, they said. The UK, Canada and France have held meetings on the two-state solution. The Palestinian ambassador welcomed that support and called for sanctions on West Bank settlements and settlement trade. Analysts said UK sanctions were largely symbolic but signalled a new willingness to act against Israel. The US is unlikely to follow under the Trump administration.