Netanyahu Confronted by Protesters Including Celebrities Ahead of UN Speech - Newsweek
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced large demonstrations in New York City on Thursday ahead of his address to the United Nations General Assembly, with actress Susan Sarandon, whistleblower Chelsea Manning and comedian Caleb Hearon among those detained by police.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside UN headquarters in Manhattan, blocking traffic and chanting slogans including "Let Gaza live" and "Stop arming Israel." A New York Police Department (NYPD) source told Newsweek roughly 100 people had been taken into custody during the protest.
The demonstrations came as Netanyahu arrived in New York for a closely watched UN speech in which he defended Israel's war against Hamas, rejected accusations of genocide and pushed back against international criticism of his government.
Sarandon, one of Hollywood's most prominent pro-Palestinian voices, was seen participating in the protest before being detained by the NYPD. Manning and Hearon were also taken into custody, according to protest organizers.
Actress Hannah Einbinder was also arrested during the demonstration, joining Sarandon, Manning and other protesters detained outside the UN.
Organizers accused Netanyahu of being responsible for what they described as atrocities in Gaza and argued that New York should not welcome him. Israel strongly rejects accusations that it is committing genocide or war crimes in Gaza.
The demonstration was one of several anti-Netanyahu events planned during the Israeli leader's brief visit to New York. On Wednesday, activists also rallied at John F. Kennedy International Airport to protest shipments they said were aiding the Israeli military.
Netanyahu's appearance at the United Nations comes amid signs of growing diplomatic isolation for Israel and less than five weeks before a closely watched Israeli election, with polls showing his political bloc trailing rivals. The address frequently took on the tone of a campaign speech as he defended his government's actions and rebuked critics.
Inside the General Assembly, dozens of diplomats walked out as Netanyahu took the podium, prompting the Israeli leader to call the delegates who left "moral cowards." At one point, he said: "If there are any other moral cowards who have not yet left this hall, please do so now," while supporters in the gallery cheered and applauded during portions of the address.
The speech also escalated Netanyahu's public dispute with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has said Netanyahu is not welcome in the city but acknowledged he lacks the authority to order the Israeli prime minister's arrest.
Netanyahu directly accused Mamdani of spreading false claims about Israel and attempting to silence him. "You can't silence me. You can't silence the truth," Netanyahu said.
In a statement afterward, Mamdani accused Netanyahu of using the address to repeat "baseless lies" and said no speech could change the fact that the Israeli leader remains the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
The Israeli leader also criticized protesters outside the UN, describing them as "phony human rights protesters" and accusing them of ignoring abuses committed by Iran and Hamas. He dismissed allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza as "the biggest lie of the century" and argued that Israel's military campaign had instead prevented genocide.
After Netanyahu's remarks, hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through Manhattan toward UN headquarters, chanting "Free Palestine" and "Netanyahu, you can't hide, we charge you with genocide," as protests against the Israeli leader continued into the afternoon.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gray R. Thomas
