Over 100 Arrested at Netanyahu UN Protest on September 25

Police arrested at least 103 people outside United Nations headquarters in New York on September 24 as Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the General Assembly. The detainees included Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon, Emmy winner Hannah Einbinder, and several elected officials and congressional candidates. Protesters blocked streets leading to the UN complex for over an hour, demanding an end to US arms supplies to Israel and calling for a halt to military operations in Gaza.

Who was arrested and why

Among the 103 people taken into custody were celebrities, politicians, and activists. Susan Sarandon, known for her Oscar win, and Hannah Einbinder, star of the HBO series Hacks, were detained alongside New York City Council Member Chi Ossé and Democratic congressional candidates including Darializa Avila Chevalier. Protesters sat in the street for more than an hour, holding banners reading “end the genocide” and chanting “Let Gaza live” and “the whole world is watching.”

What the protesters demanded

The demonstration focused on stopping US military aid to Israel. Protesters wore shirts reading “Fund people not bombs” and called for UN member states to sanction Israel. According to organizers with the Palestinian Youth Movement, the action aimed to challenge what they described as decades of immunity enjoyed by the United States and Israel for what they characterized as international crimes. The protest drew hundreds of Jewish, Palestinian, Iranian, and Lebanese New Yorkers, plus several elected officials.

Netanyahu’s defiant UN speech

Netanyahu dismissed genocide allegations as “the biggest lie of the century” during his General Assembly address. Dozens of UN delegates walked out as he took the stage. He vowed Israel would continue military operations, saying “We’re going to win. We have no other choice.” Netanyahu also pointed to food aid and polio vaccinations in Gaza as evidence Israel was not committing genocide. He attacked New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, calling him “the antisemitic mayor of New York.”

International response and legal exposure

Netanyahu remains subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Mayor Mamdani responded to Netanyahu’s attacks by stating: “Yet no lie can change the fact that he remains the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity.” A UN commission of inquiry concluded in September 2025 that Israel had committed genocide. Israel has rejected all such findings. The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to take provisional measures under the Genocide Convention, though the case remains pending.

Final Thoughts

The mass arrests underscore deepening divisions over Israel’s military campaign. With more than 100 detained and thousands marching afterward, the protests signal sustained opposition to US arms supplies and Israeli military operations in Gaza, even as Netanyahu faces an ICC arrest warrant and domestic political pressure ahead of Israeli elections.

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