When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday morning, he addressed his remarks to a wide audience: not only to the international delegates before him — a comparatively sparse crowd after over a hundred representatives walked out as he approached the podium — and the larger audience watching his speech, primarily in Israel where it was broadcast by local news channels, but also Hamas leadership and fighters and the remaining hostages in Gaza as well after the Israeli military set up speakers around and inside the Strip.

American Jewish organizations — another key audience for the speech — have been largely silent on his remarks, with only a few groups reacting to it as of Friday afternoon. 

Netanyahu opened his address with a recap of Israel’s achievements this year against Iran and its proxies in the region, referring to it as “one of the most stunning military comebacks in history.”

Acknowledging that Israel had yet to defeat Hamas in Gaza, Netanyahu said that Israel “must finish the job.”

He recalled the horrors of the Oct. 7 attacks before reciting the names of the 20 hostages thought to still be alive in Gaza and addressing them directly, claiming that the Israeli military had surrounded Gaza with loudspeakers to give them a chance to hear his words. 

“This is Prime Minister Netanyahu speaking to you live from the United Nations,” he said. “We have not forgotten you, not even for a second. The people of Israel are with you. We will not falter, and we will not rest until we bring all of you home.” 

In a statement following Netanyahu’s speech, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum criticized Netanyahu for failing to secure the release of the captives and accused him of prolonging the war unnecessarily while putting their loved ones at further risk. 

“Netanyahu’s call to ‘finish the job’ and continue fighting endangers the very people we’re fighting to save,” the group said in a statement on X. “President Trump has called for an immediate end to the war and the release of all hostages. Netanyahu’s insistence on prolonging this conflict and undermining negotiations directly contradicts President Trump’s demand. Time and again, he has chosen to squander every opportunity to bring them home.”

The group also lambasted the prime minister for only listing the names of the 20 living hostages instead of including the additional 28 whose bodies remain in Gaza.  

“Prime Minister Netanyahu flew all the way to New York to deliver a message to the hostages: ‘The people of Israel are with you!’ But his actions on that very stage revealed the hollow nature of these words. While President Trump consistently acknowledges all hostages, both the living and those who have been murdered, Netanyahu chose to read only the names of the living hostages,” they said.  

In addition to the written statement, dozens of family members of hostages gathered outside the United Nations headquarters during Netanyahu’s speech to call for a hostage deal. The demonstration came as Netanyahu faces criticism from most hostage family members and growing segments of the Israeli population, who have stated that in prioritizing other war aims, the prime minister bears some of the responsibility for the ongoing hostage crisis. 

In his speech, Netanayhu decried the claims that Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza amounts to a “genocide,” likening the allegations to the blood libels of the Middle Ages. After recalling the recent fatal attacks against Jews in the United States, he also decried the recent decision by Australia, Canada, France, the United Kingdom and other countries to recognize Palestinian statehood.

“It’s a very clear message: murdering Jews pays off,” he said. “Well, I have a message for these leaders. When the most savage terrorists on earth are effusively praising your decision, you didn’t do something right. You did something wrong, horribly wrong. Your disgraceful decision will encourage terrorism against Jews and against innocent people everywhere.” 

He also argued at length that Hamas and even the Palestinian Authority do not want a two-state solution but a Palestinian state in place of Israel. “Palestinian rejection of a Jewish state in any boundary is what has driven this conflict for over a century,” he said.

“Giving the Palestinians a state one mile from Jerusalem after Oct. 7 is like giving al-Qaeda a state one mile from New York City after Sept. 11,” he continued. “This is sheer madness. It’s insane, and we won’t do it.”

The Jewish Federations of North America, American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, Israel Policy Forum and World Jewish Congress did not issue statements following the speech, and a representative from the AJC declined a request for comment on Netanyahu’s remarks. 

The Zionist Organization of America issued a statement describing Netanyahu’s remarks as “Churchillian” and applauding the prime minister for slamming the countries that recognized a Palestinian state. 

“He condemned the dangerous fantasy of granting statehood to jihadist murderers. He warned it would reward terrorism and encourage more bloodshed. Over 90% of Israelis and the vast majority of the Knesset oppose this because it would directly threaten Israel’s survival,” Mort Klein, national president of the ZOA, said in the statement. “This was Netanyahu at his best. Uncompromising, unapologetic and resolute in the face of global hypocrisy and hate.”

AIPAC live-tweeted several segments of the speech on X but did not make a statement of their own, while J Street posted a critique of Netanyahu and his choice of message:

“The empty hall that greeted Prime Minister Netanyahu was a powerful symbol of the isolation and disgrace he has brought on himself and Israel. His refusal to show even basic empathy for Gaza’s suffering and his reliance on the rhetoric of endless war between good and evil were both shameful and dangerous. At a moment when Arab leaders and President Abbas have offered pathways to regional normalization and peace, Netanyahu chose rejection and escalation instead. Far from securing Israel’s future, his words only deepen Israel’s isolation and fuel growing global outrage.”

While they did not directly reference Netanyahu’s speech, both the Israel Policy Forum and World Jewish Congress expressed support for a negotiated two-state solution on Friday afternoon.

CORRECTION: The post on X referencing support for a negotiated two-state solution was made by the account of the World Jewish Congress, not the World Zionist Congress.