LEILA FADEL, HOST:
This week, world leaders have been calling for cease-fires in Gaza and Lebanon. Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the podium sounding defiant.
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PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: After I heard the lies and slanders leveled at my country by many of the speakers at this podium, I decided to come here and set the record straight.
FADEL: NPR's Michele Kelemen has been at U.N. Headquarters all week and joins us now from New York. Good morning, Michele.
MICHELE KELEMEN, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So what did Netanyahu say to - as he put it - set the record straight?
KELEMEN: So he painted this conflict as a war against Iranian proxies who are trying, he said, to annihilate Jews. It started with Hamas attacking Israel on October 7. A day later, Hezbollah and Lebanon then started firing rockets into northern Israel, displacing tens of thousands of Israelis. Netanyahu says his forces will continue to strike in Lebanon and will continue until the militants move back. Take a listen to what his defiant tone was.
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NETANYAHU: Far from being lambs led to the slaughter, Israel's soldiers have fought back with incredible courage and with heroic sacrifice. And I have another message for this assembly and for the world outside this hall. We are winning.
FADEL: Yeah. I mean, Israel and Lebanon have been trading fire on that border for 11 months now. We heard a lot of criticism from world leaders this week of Netanyahu and his government, blaming it for the continued war in Gaza and now this war in Lebanon. How was he received in the hall?
KELEMEN: Yeah. Most diplomats walked out of the General Assembly as he took to the podium. He did have supporters, as you heard, cheering for him...
FADEL: Yeah.
KELEMEN: ...In the public gallery. But otherwise, the room was pretty empty. There are families of hostages held by Hamas who are here in town, who have been pleading with Netanyahu to make a deal to bring their loved ones home. Pretty much every speaker in the General Assembly this week has been calling on Israel to deescalate. Just take a listen to one of the speakers just this morning before Netanyahu spoke. This is Robert Golob, who's the prime minister of Slovenia, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council.
PRIME MINISTER ROBERT GOLOB: Mr. Netanyahu, stop this war now.
KELEMEN: That was the tone of many of the speakers, and many of them accused Israel of war crimes in Gaza.
FADEL: Now, the U.S. has been trying to negotiate a cease-fire in Gaza and a cease-fire - at least temporary cease-fire - in Lebanon. Is Netanyahu ignoring that?
KELEMEN: Yeah, pretty much. I mean, the U.S. has been arguing for months that if the Israelis reach a deal with Hamas to bring hostages home and get aid into Gaza, then Hezbollah will agree to pull back and stop firing rockets. The Israelis have been talking to the Americans about all of this, but Netanyahu painted this all as a fight against good versus evil - excuse me - good versus evil. He repeated that he wants a total victory in Gaza.
And he said that, you know, Israel is winning what he called this seven-front war with Iran. He also, Leila, said that there is no place in Iran that the long arm of Israel cannot reach. That was a warning that he gave on the floor. So that was not a man that sounds like he's really ready to negotiate an end to any of this.
FADEL: NPR's Michele Kelemen covering the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Thank you.
KELEMEN: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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