Over 100 Arrested in New York Protests Against Benjamin Netanyahu’s UN Address

Multiple demonstrations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took place in New York as he addressed the United Nations General Assembly, resulting in more than 100 arrests as demonstrators demanded accountability over Israel’s war on Gaza and an end to United States military support.

“I’m born and raised in New York City, and it’s a total disrespect for Benjamin Netanyahu to be here,” Jose, a protest attendee who only gave his first name, told Al Jazeera. “He’s a war criminal, and we don’t tolerate that.”

More than 400 people, including celebrities, organisers, and politicians, joined an action near the UN earlier on Thursday, according to Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). The sit-in blocked part of First Avenue ahead of Netanyahu’s UNGA address, led by JVP and the NYC-Democratic Socialists of America.

“What we’re seeing this week is that Trump and Netanyahu are using the United Nations General Assembly as a bully pulpit to espouse their vision of the world, which is one ruled by brute force, by war crimes with impunity,” Nas Issa, a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement and activist at the JVP demonstration, told Al Jazeera.

Protesters also sought to draw attention to New York’s own role in US support for Israel. A day earlier, NYC-DSA held a news conference at John F Kennedy international airport calling for an immediate halt to military and explosive cargo shipments through the airport and greater transparency over previous shipments of military aid to Israel.

Police ordered demonstrators on Thursday to clear the road before making arrests. The New York Police Department told Al Jazeera that 103 people were arrested for disorderly conduct, and all had been released. Organisers stated that nine of those individuals were elected officials and candidates for office, including Darializa Avila Chevalier, the Democratic nominee for New York’s 13th congressional district.

“Benjamin Netanyahu belongs at The Hague; not in the streets of New York City, and certainly not addressing the United Nations General Assembly,” Avila Chevalier said in a statement.

JVP organiser Jess Frankel Carrel told Al Jazeera that, as a Jewish New Yorker, she wanted US funding directed towards communities at home rather than Israel’s war on Gaza. “We don’t want our tax dollars spent bombing children. We want them to fund schools here,” Carrel said. “Many of my comrades were arrested, and we will stay here. We will stay fighting until the genocide is over.”

Hours later, thousands of protesters marched towards UN headquarters in a separate demonstration organised by the Palestinian Youth Movement and The People’s Forum.

“I think it’s clear why Benjamin Netanyahu only wanted to spend 10 hours in this city,” Taher Dahleh, a Palestinian Youth Movement organiser, told Al Jazeera. “This city will never be a safe haven for fugitives of international law or war criminals.”

Inside the UNGA podium, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his government's conduct, rejecting accusations of genocide and calling the allegation the “greatest lie of the century.” He also attacked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, accusing him of being anti-Semitic and claiming that many Jews no longer feel safe in New York.

Mayor Mamdani responded by accusing Netanyahu of repeating “baseless lies meant to sanitise his genocide of Palestinians,” noting that the prime minister remains the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.

For protesters, Netanyahu’s appearance was an opportunity to urge international leaders and the US government to take action over Gaza, with Dahleh emphasizing, “All of this complicity has to stop.”