Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed a pager from the podium of the UN General Assembly and recalled the operation against communications devices used by “Hezbollah“ in September 2024. His speech in New York on September 24 was met with the departure of many delegations, and mass protests took place outside the UN building.
“Do you remember the pagers? “Hezbollah“ certainly remembers them,“ Netanyahu said, defending Israel's actions against the group, “Hamas“ and Iran. He portrayed the war as a multi-front conflict and said Israel would continue to defend itself.
Clash with New York Mayor
In his speech, Netanyahu directly attacked New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who before his election had said that the Israeli prime minister should be arrested when he visited the city. Mamdani later admitted that the city authorities did not have the authority to execute the arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, but continued to urge federal authorities to act.
“Mr. Mamdani, since you were elected mayor, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York“, Netanyahu said. He accused the mayor of spreading accusations of genocide and trying to prevent his participation in the UN meeting.
“You are trying to silence me. But you can't silence me. You can't silence the truth," the Israeli prime minister said.
After the speech, Mamdani responded that Netanyahu had repeated "baseless lies" designed to justify Israel's actions in Gaza. The mayor also pointed to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in November 2024 on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel denies the charges.
Protests and arrests in Manhattan
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the United Nations area and blocked traffic on First Avenue with a sit-in protest. They carried signs with messages such as "Fund the people, not the bombs" and chanted against the war in Gaza.
According to CBS New York police sources, about 100 people were taken into custody. Among those detained were actresses Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder, activist Chelsea Manning, comedian Caleb Hearon and members of the city council. Protest organizers said the number of detainees was over 100.
There was also a demonstration in support of Israel at the site. The two groups got into verbal conflicts, and at times physical clashes. Netanyahu's visit was planned as a short trip to New York, after which he was supposed to return to Israel the same day.
Sources: CBS News, CBS New York, Guardian