Netanyahu arrived in New York for what was expected to be a whirlwind trip that also highlighted the growing isolation of the U.S. ally over its assault on the Gaza Strip<\/a>.<\/p>\n With only a handful of diplomatic meetings on the sidelines of the assembly and Trump\u2019s focus firmly on his summit with China\u2019s Xi Jinping<\/a>, the prime minister was expected to return to Israel shortly after his address to be back in time for the major Jewish holiday of Sukkot on Friday evening.<\/p>\n \u201cI am leaving tonight for New York in order to defend, from the U.N. podium, Israel and IDF soldiers,\u201d the prime minister said in a video Wednesday night before he left. \u201cYou hear the terrible lies that are being spread there.\u201d<\/p>\n Netanyahu was expecting the delegates to observe an annual tradition of walking out in protest over the conduct of Israel\u2019s war in the Gaza Strip<\/a>. But that spectacle was also likely to play well among the premier\u2019s domestic supporters, for whom he has styled himself as a defiant truth teller standing up for Israel on the global stage.<\/p>\n While much of the world has condemned Israel for the huge loss of civilian life and continuing humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, Netanyahu\u2019s primary domestic challenge comes from an Israeli right wing <\/a>that accuses him of not being tough enough in the country\u2019s multifront war on Iran<\/a> and its proxy groups.<\/p>\n \u201cThe main reason that brings him to the UN General Assembly this time is the opportunity to talk, using the UN microphone, to his voters in Israel, in his polished English, in a speech that of course will be accompanied by exaggerated descriptions of his great achievements,\u201d Ephraim Ganor, a political and strategic affairs expert, wrote in the right-leaning Israeli newspaper Ma\u2019ariv.<\/p>\n Before he delivered the speech, Netanyahu hinted that he would focus on populist, patriotic causes.<\/p>\n In a video posted to social media on Tuesday, Netanyahu took aim at Mamdani<\/a>, who had pledged to arrest him for crimes against humanity before later acknowledging that he lacked the jurisdiction to do so.<\/p>\n Appearing to adopt the posture of a professional wrestler and looking straight into the camera, Netanyahu accused the mayor of supporting Hamas \u2014 which Mamdani has strenuously denied \u2014 and fomenting riots against New York Jews. He added that he would \u201ctell the truth about you\u201d and \u201ctell the truth about our heroic soldiers.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about Netanyahu\u2019s comments, Mamdani told a news conference Tuesday that the Israeli military had killed an 11-year-old boy in a zone deemed safe in Gaza, \u201cso that is what I have to say to his video.\u201d<\/p>\n Netanyahu\u2019s mention of Israeli soldiers appeared to be a reference to \u201cNAZA,\u201d a documentary made by two Israeli filmmakers<\/a> in which 24 anonymous Israelis, described as military and intelligence officials, talk about the cynical process by which the country\u2019s military evaluated the need for civilian deaths during the Gaza war.<\/p>\n A popular target that has riled Israeli leaders ahead of the elections, \u201cNAZA\u201d has earned plaudits abroad but condemnation at home.<\/p>\n Politicians have stumbled over themselves to publicly condemn the documentary in the harshest terms, with some demanding a criminal investigation into the duo and even that they be stripped of Israeli citizenship.<\/p>\n Netanyahu, who has a history of peppering his General Assembly speeches with props, gags and gimmicks, said his speech would include \u201csurprises.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790036870235_now_topstory_naza_documentary_controversy_260921_S3_1920x1080-4yykqb.jpg\")
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![\"Israeli](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/260923-netanyahu-un-starlink-mn-1505-e371e2.jpg\")
Netanyahu holds up a Starlink device Thursday.Timothy A. Clary \/ AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n