Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stage at the UN General Assembly with a speech built on defending his country's military campaigns. Much of the address went to justifying operations in Gaza and Iran, along with Israeli military activity elsewhere in the Middle East. Dozens of delegations boycotted the speech, staying away while it was delivered. The mass absence laid bare the split inside the assembly over Israel's conduct. Netanyahu presented the campaigns as measures Israel needed to take for its own security. Governments on the other side of the argument want the operations stopped and have said so repeatedly at the same venue. The speech gave the Israeli leader a platform at the UN at a moment when his government has faced unusual isolation there.