Israeli opposition leaders slam Netanyahu’s UN speech

• Avigdor Lieberman says speech sounded like 'a party leader’s address, not the speech of a prime minister for all'

ISTANBUL

Israeli opposition leaders sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the 80th UN General Assembly in New York, with one calling it "a tired and whining" speech full of "gimmicks."Israeli opposition leaders slam Netanyahu’s UN speech

“The world today saw a tired and whining Israeli Prime Minister, in a speech overly laden with tired gimmicks,” Lapid said in a post on the US social media company X.

He also noted that Netanyahu failed to present a plan to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza or outline a way to end the war. He also questioned why Hamas has not been defeated after nearly two years of fighting.

“Instead of halting the diplomatic tsunami, Netanyahu today worsened the situation of the State of Israel,” Lapid wrote.

Avigdor Lieberman, head of the opposition Yisrael Beiteinu party, also attacked the speech, writing on X that it sounded like “a party leader’s address, not the speech of a prime minister for all.”

He added that Netanyahu ignored “the most important sentence -- ending the war in exchange for the release of all hostages.”

Netanyahu delivered Israel’s address to the UN in a largely empty hall, after most delegations walked out ahead of his speech in protest of the Gaza genocide, which is nearing its third year. He used his address to reject accusations of genocide and starvation in Gaza.

The Israeli army has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.