Israeli opposition leader slams Netanyahu’s speech at UN as ‘overly laden with tired gimmicks’

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Friday criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the 80th UN General Assembly in New York, calling it “a tired and whining” speech filled with “tired gimmicks.”

“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.

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.