Key point 1 of Brazil coverage

The delegation left the plenary session only after Netanyahu entered the room, as opposed to leaving before the announcement in 2024, a difference seen by Itamaraty as a stronger condemnation.

Key point 2 of Brazil coverage

Netanyahu called the genocide accusation the "biggest lie of the century" and claimed Israel had prevented a genocide, citing polio vaccination and civilian alerts.

Key point 3 of Brazil coverage

Two days before the speech, President Lula had accused the "Netanyahu government" of genocide against the women and children of Gaza from the same podium.

Netanyahu calls the genocide accusation "the biggest lie of the century" at the UN, before a half-empty hall - Brazil Perspective

DOMINANT ANGLE

Brasília is stepping up its diplomatic pressure on Nétanyahou, tightening its withdrawal from the UN General Assembly to convey a stronger condemnation than in 2024, two days after Lula's accusation of genocide from the same platform.

Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media

KEY POINTS

01
The delegation left the plenary session only after Netanyahu entered the room, as opposed to leaving before the announcement in 2024, a difference seen by Itamaraty as a stronger condemnation.
02
Netanyahu called the genocide accusation the "biggest lie of the century" and claimed Israel had prevented a genocide, citing polio vaccination and civilian alerts.
03
Two days before the speech, President Lula had accused the "Netanyahu government" of genocide against the women and children of Gaza from the same podium.

ANALYSIS

Brasília, September 25, 2026. Brazil's mission to the United Nations left the General Assembly plenary session on Thursday, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the floor, joining dozens of delegations in a gesture that Brazilian diplomacy presents as more severe than that of 2024. According to a source from the mission cited by G1, Itamaraty this time asked diplomats to wait for Netanyahu to be announced and enter the room before standing up, whereas in 2024 the departure had preceded the announcement itself - a difference read by diplomacy as "a heavier condemnation".

At the podium, Netanyahu called the accusation of genocide in Gaza "the greatest lie of the century", stating: "Israel did not commit genocide. Israel prevented a genocide." He cited the sending of messages and leaflets to alert the population of combat zones as well as polio vaccination campaigns. He called the delegations leaving the room, including Brazil, "moral cowards" before even starting his speech.

The episode comes two days after President Lula, at the same podium on Tuesday, explicitly accused the "Netanyahu government" of practicing genocide against the women and children of Gaza, before returning to Brazil. At the time of the Israeli speech, the Brazilian delegation present was composed only of officials from the mission: Chancellor Mauro Vieira was at a parallel event in support of UNRWA, organized by Brazil, Jordan, and Spain, where he criticized Tel Aviv's action in Gaza. UN Secretary-General António Guterres - declared persona non grata by Israel, like Lula himself - attended the same event rather than the speech.

Netanyahu also accused New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani of antisemitism, stating that Jews "no longer feel safe" since his election; Mamdani had earlier defended the execution of the arrest warrant issued against the Prime Minister by the International Criminal Court in 2024. The Iranian embassy in Ghana, for its part, compared Netanyahu to Voldemort on X, writing that "the lord of darkness lectured the world".

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DOMINANT ANGLE

KEY POINTS

ANALYSIS

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