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Netanyahu And Abbas Trade Clashing Gaza Narratives In 2026 U.N. Addresses
At the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas traded sharply opposed accounts of the Gaza war.
Netanyahu denied allegations that Israel committed genocide, calling them "the biggest lie of the century," and said attacking Iran "was one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make." PBS Scores of delegations staged a coordinated walkout as he approached the podium, and Netanyahu labeled those leaving "moral cowards" and invited any remaining critics to "please do so now." PBS He displayed a pager and reminded the assembly that on Sept. 17, 2024 Israel remotely detonated thousands of pagers distributed to Hezbollah, an incident PBS reported wounded more than 3,000 people and killed 12, including two children.[1]
Mahmoud Abbas delivered a prerecorded address from his office in Ramallah because the United States again denied visas to him and other senior Palestinian officials.[2] In that message he said Palestinians in Gaza face a "genocidal war" and an "unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe," and accused Israeli forces of killing, starvation and attempts at forced displacement.[2]
The Gaza Health Ministry's updated toll cited in coverage places Palestinian deaths at at least 73,922, alongside about 1,200 Israelis killed and 251 people taken hostage in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack, figures that framed both leaders' remarks to the Assembly.[1] Netanyahu also dismissed West Bank settler violence as the work of a "handful of young juvenile delinquents" and said he "won't stand for vigilantism," comments critics said clash with his government's ties to settler allies.[1]
Earlier PBS coverage presented Abbas's prerecorded claims about a "genocidal war" without a direct rebuttal, while contemporaneous reports and follow-ups highlighted Netanyahu's forceful denials and the scale of the walkouts, shifting how the Assembly showdown was framed in mainstream accounts.[2] Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi called Netanyahu's speech a "loudspeaker for justifying war and aggression" and said the mass walkouts "spoke louder than any speech," a characterization CBS News reported while noting its count of 77 delegations walking out was not independently verified.[3]
Show source details & analysis (4 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- On Thursday, September 24, 2026, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the U.N. General Assembly called allegations that Israel committed genocide in Gaza "the biggest lie of the century," said attacking Iran "was one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make," and thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for "decisive action" while asserting Israel was defending countries whose delegates walked out (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu).
- Scores of delegates staged a coordinated walkout as Netanyahu approached the podium — a move urged by the Palestinian Mission to signal opposition to alleged genocide, war crimes and occupation — and Netanyahu labeled those leaving "moral cowards" and invited any remaining critics to "please do so now" (Palestinian Mission).
- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delivered a prerecorded address played in New York in which he said Palestinians in Gaza face a "genocidal war" and an "unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe," accused Israeli forces of killing, destruction, starvation and forced displacement, and called ongoing West Bank settlement expansion part of a "malicious colonial scheme" (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas).
- Abbas's address was prerecorded from his office in Ramallah because the United States again denied visas to him and other top Palestinian officials to attend the General Assembly in person for a second consecutive year (Ramallah).
- Reporting cites the Gaza Health Ministry's updated toll at at least 73,922 Palestinians killed in the war, alongside about 1,200 Israelis killed and 251 kidnapped in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack (Gaza Health Ministry).
- During his speech Netanyahu displayed a pager and reminded delegates that on September 17, 2024 Israel remotely detonated thousands of pagers distributed to Hezbollah in Lebanon, an incident that PBS reports wounded more than 3,000 people and killed 12, including two children (pager).
- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi called Netanyahu's U.N. address a "loudspeaker for justifying war and aggression" and said the mass walkouts "spoke louder than any speech," while CBS News noted it could not verify Gharibabadi's specific claim that 77 delegations walked out (Kazem Gharibabadi).
- Netanyahu dismissed West Bank settler violence as the work of a "handful of young juvenile delinquents" and said he "won't stand for vigilantism," though critics note his government includes settler allies and arrests have been rare (West Bank settler violence).
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- During Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's U.N. General Assembly address on Thursday, September 24, 2026, many attendees walked out as he spoke; in response, Netanyahu called those leaving 'moral cowards' and told any others who had not yet left to 'please do so now.'
- In the same speech, Netanyahu defended Israel's military actions in Iran and across the Middle East, declaring, 'We will continue to defend our state. We will continue to win because we have no other choice,' while thanking President Donald Trump for his support.
- Also on September 24, 2026, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi characterized Netanyahu's U.N. address on X as a 'loudspeaker for justifying war and aggression' and argued that the mass walkouts by delegations 'spoke louder than any speech,' though CBS News noted it has not verified his specific claim that 77 delegations walked out.
- On Thursday, September 24, 2026, at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Netanyahu called allegations that Israel committed genocide in Gaza 'the biggest lie of the century.'
- In the same speech he said attacking Iran 'was one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make' and asserted Israel was defending many countries whose delegates walked out.
- Scores of delegates staged a coordinated walkout as he approached the podium, leaving a majority of visible seats empty while the General Assembly president repeatedly called for order.
- Netanyahu invited remaining critics to leave by saying, 'If there are any other moral cowards who have not yet left the hall, please do so now.'
- He thanked U.S. President Donald Trump from the U.N. rostrum for 'decisive action' against Iran and claimed foreign leaders privately thank Israel for 'taking out Iran's nukes.'
- He displayed a pager and reminded delegates that on September 17, 2024, Israel remotely detonated thousands of pagers distributed to Hezbollah in Lebanon, wounding more than 3,000 people and killing 12, including two children.
- The article recounts that a Palestinian Mission message urged delegations to bring as many staff as possible to the hall and to 'collectively walk out' once Netanyahu was announced, to signal opposition to alleged genocide, war crimes and occupation.
- It notes the U.S. has denied visas to Mahmoud Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials for the U.N. gathering for a second consecutive year, leading Abbas to speak via prerecorded video from Ramallah earlier on Thursday.
- The piece updates Gaza war casualty figures to at least 73,922 Palestinians killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, alongside 1,200 Israelis killed and 251 kidnapped in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack.
- Netanyahu dismissed West Bank settler violence as the work of a 'handful of young juvenile delinquents' and said he 'won't stand for vigilantism,' while critics note his government includes settler allies and that arrests have been rare.
- On Thursday, September 24, 2026, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delivered a prerecorded address to the U.N. General Assembly that was played in New York.
- Abbas said Palestinians in Gaza are facing a 'genocidal war' and described the situation there as an 'unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.'
- He accused Israeli forces of killing, destruction, starvation and attempts at displacement, and said Israeli settlers are escalating violence and settlement expansion in the West Bank while fragmenting the territory and isolating East Jerusalem.
- Abbas said what is happening in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem is part of a 'malicious colonial scheme' aimed at making Palestinian life so difficult that people are forced to leave.
- Abbas noted that the Palestinian leadership had welcomed President Donald Trump's 20-point plan and a U.N. Security Council resolution and implementation roadmap but said none of it had materialized on the ground.
- The address was prerecorded from Abbas's office in Ramallah because the United States again denied visas to him and other top Palestinian officials to attend the General Assembly in person, the second consecutive year of such denials.