Netanyahu Slams Qatar, Turkey, NYC Mayor at UN; Receives Sharp Rebuttals

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a fiery speech at the United Nations on Thursday, leveling accusations against Qatar, Turkey, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Netanyahu accused Qatar of attempting to "brainwash" young people to hate Israel, America, and the West, alleging it funnels vast sums to American universities and media outlets like Al Jazeera. He also stated that Qatar hosts Hamas "butchers" since the October 7th attacks. Qatar's Deputy Ambassador to Washington, Hamad Al-Mohannadi, retorted that Netanyahu was speaking to a "half-empty room," questioning his support. He defended Qatar's university funding as supporting American campuses in Doha and emphasized Qatar's critical role as a mediator in negotiations involving Israel, Hamas, the US, and Egypt, suggesting attacks on mediators are counterproductive.

Netanyahu also targeted Mayor Eric Adams, claiming that since Adams' election, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York and that Adams praises individuals convicted of supporting Hamas. Netanyahu cited an instance where Adams invited a Palestinian journalist who documented Hamas atrocities and later admitted to withholding videos to protect the terrorists. He also mentioned that Adams' wife allegedly liked posts praising the October 7th massacre and denying Tel Aviv's right to exist, while Adams himself refused to condemn these actions. Netanyahu asserted that Israel is preventing genocide, not committing it, and that Hamas would have annihilated Israelis if not stopped. Adams, in response, accused Netanyahu of using his speech to "whitewash his genocide against Palestinians" and reiterated that Netanyahu faces an ICC arrest warrant for war crimes.

Turkey was also a target, with Netanyahu calling it a "super-spreader of antisemitic lies" and accusing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of being a dictator who hosts Hamas leaders, has killed thousands of Kurdish civilians, denies the Armenian genocide, imprisons journalists, illegally occupies Northern Cyprus, and violates Greek sovereignty. Turkey's Communications Directorate President, Fahrettin Altun, called Netanyahu's remarks "brazen and shameful," stating they cannot obscure the "massacre" in Gaza or the international legal proceedings against him. Altun affirmed Turkey's continued defense of the oppressed, particularly Palestinians, and opposition to injustice.