Netanyahu accuses UK and France of inventing colonialism term
Israeli Prime Minister also decried a UK trade ban on West Bank settlements during UN address.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

The Israeli leader has faced growing diplomatic isolation over the Gaza conflict (Seth Wenig/AP) (AP)
Photograph: The Independent (US) (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly that Britain and France invented the term 'colonialism'.
- The UK announced a trade ban on illegal West Bank settlements, which Netanyahu referenced.
- Dozens of delegates walked out of the UN General Assembly during Netanyahu's speech.
- Netanyahu is facing a re-election battle and is trailing in the polls.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 19 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 16 of the 35 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
68/100
Craft
87/100
Hype
15/100
35 sources · methodology
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York, accusing Britain and France of inventing the term 'colonialism'. He made these remarks in the context of criticism against Israel's settlement policy. The United Kingdom had recently announced a trade ban on illegal West Bank settlements, a move that sparked a diplomatic dispute with Israel. During his speech, dozens of delegates walked out of the assembly hall in protest. Netanyahu is currently engaged in a re-election campaign and is reportedly trailing in opinion polls.
Disagreement on Netanyahu's remarks about colonialism
The Independent reported that Netanyahu stated Britain had 'invented the term' colonialism, adding that its empire 'once spanned the globe'. Le Monde and Franceinfo.fr reported Netanyahu asking, 'What colonialism?' and stating that 'they invented the term'. EADaily reported that Netanyahu 'gave out his version of Nikita Khrushchev from the UN rostrum'. News-pravda.com reported Netanyahu saying, 'For God's sakes, they invented the term, their colonies braced the entire globe. Colonialism? Give us a...'
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated digests mention the specific number of delegates who walked out of the UN General Assembly during Benjamin Netanyahu's speech. The centre-rated digests do not mention Netanyahu's statement that he is facing a re-election battle and is trailing in the polls. None of the right-rated digests mention that Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a re-election battle and is trailing in the polls.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 25 Sept 2026, 06:30, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
5 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports focused on Benjamin Netanyahu's accusation that Britain and France invented the term 'colonialism'. The Independent, which provided a full report, also highlighted Netanyahu's comments on the UK's trade ban on West Bank settlements and his description of delegates who walked out as 'moral cowards'. Perspectivemedia.com and The Independent also mentioned the UK's trade ban on illegal West Bank settlements. Le Monde and Franceinfo.fr quoted Netanyahu's questioning of 'What colonialism?' and his assertion that Britain and France invented the term.
Centre
7 rated outlets
- The centre-rated reports highlighted Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks about colonialism and the walkout by delegates. Le Devoir and Sud Ouest quoted Netanyahu asking, 'What colonialism?' and stating that France and Britain invented the term. Evening Standard, Le Devoir, and leprogres.fr mentioned the UK's trade ban on illegal West Bank settlements. France24 and La Libre reported that Netanyahu attacked Israel's detractors and referenced former colonising countries. Several centre-rated reports, including ledauphine.com, leprogres.fr, bienpublic.com, estrepublicain.fr, lalsace.fr, lejsl.com, and republicain-lorrain.fr, noted that many delegates left the room when Netanyahu spoke.
Right
7 rated outlets
- Right-rated reports focused on Benjamin Netanyahu's criticism of Britain and France regarding colonialism. The Telegraph stated that Netanyahu attacked Britain for its colonial history. GB News reported that Netanyahu 'rages at 'colonial' Britain amid Israel's Falkland Islands threats'. News-pravda.com quoted Netanyahu saying, 'They accuse Israel, tiny Israel, of colonialism. And who's accusing us? Among them, people in Britain and in France. For God's sakes, they invented the term'. EADaily reported that Netanyahu 'gave out his version of Nikita Khrushchev from the UN rostrum'.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Netanyahu accuses UK and France of inventing colonialism term?
- Of the 19 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 26% are rated left, 37% are rated centre, 37% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 35. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Netanyahu accuses UK and France of inventing colonialism term left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 19 rated outlets on this story, 26% are rated left, 37% are rated centre, 37% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Netanyahu accuses UK and France of inventing colonialism term biased?
- Netanyahu accuses UK and France of inventing colonialism term is one event reported by 35 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which outlets covered Netanyahu accuses UK and France of inventing colonialism term?
- 35 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did Benjamin Netanyahu say about colonialism?
- Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly that Britain and France invented the term 'colonialism'. He stated that their colonies 'embraced the entire globe' and suggested that these countries should not be accusing Israel of colonialism.
- What action did the UK take regarding West Bank settlements?
- The United Kingdom announced a trade ban on illegal West Bank settlements. This action sparked a diplomatic dispute with Israel, which Benjamin Netanyahu referenced during his speech at the UN General Assembly.
- How did delegates react to Netanyahu's speech?
- Dozens of delegates walked out of the UN General Assembly hall during Benjamin Netanyahu's speech. Netanyahu responded by calling those who left 'moral cowards'.
- What is Netanyahu's current political situation?
- Benjamin Netanyahu is currently engaged in a re-election battle in Israel. Reports indicate that he is trailing in opinion polls, which may influence his public statements and diplomatic stances.
Read it at the source
35 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
5- Netanyahu tells colonialism accusers in UK that Britain ‘invented the term’ (opens perspectivemedia.com in a new tab)
perspectivemedia.com — is perspectivemedia.com biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Netanyahu tells colonialism accusers in UK that Britain ‘invented the term’ (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- "What Colonialism?": Several Delegations Left the UN General Assembly at the Time of Benyamin Netanyahu's Speech. (opens Le Monde in a new tab)
- Netanyahu: 'Britain and France Accuse Israel of Colonialism? They Invented It' (opens Ynet News in a new tab)
- At the UN, Benyamin Netanyahu Attacked France and the United Kingdom: "Their Colonies Covered the Entire Planet" (opens franceinfo.fr in a new tab)
franceinfo.fr — is franceinfo.fr biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
7- Netanyahu tells colonialism accusers in UK that Britain ‘invented the term’ (opens Evening Standard in a new tab)
Evening Standard — is Evening Standard biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Netanyahu Is Fighting in the UN Rostrum and Attacking his... (opens Le Devoir in a new tab)
- In Front of the UN General Assembly, Netanyahu Attacks Paris and London (opens France24 in a new tab)
- United States. "What Colonialism?": Netanyahu Defends His Policy in the Face of a Sparse UN Assembly (opens leprogres.fr in a new tab)
leprogres.fr — is leprogres.fr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- United States. "What Colonialism?" Netanyahu Defends His Policy in the Face of a Sparse UN Assembly (opens ledauphine.com in a new tab)
ledauphine.com — is ledauphine.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- "Colonialism? France and Britain Invented the term!"... At the UN, Benjamin Netanyahu Defends His Critics (opens Sud Ouest in a new tab)
Sud Ouest — is Sud Ouest biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Netanyahu Attacks Israel's Detractors on the UN Rostrum: "What Colonialism?" (opens La Libre in a new tab)
Right
7- UN general assembly: Netanyahu attacks Britain over colonial history (opens The Telegraph in a new tab)
The Telegraph — is The Telegraph biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Benjamin Netanyahu rages at 'colonial' Britain amid Israel's Falkland Islands threats (opens GB News in a new tab)
- Kuzkin's Moth in Israel: Netanyahu Gave Khrushchev From the UN Rostrum (opens EADaily in a new tab)
- Netanyahu Criticises France and the United Kingdom at the UN General Assembly. (opens REALITATEA.NET in a new tab)
REALITATEA.NET — is REALITATEA.NET biased? Our profile of this outlet
- At the UN, Netanyahu Lashes Out at the UK and France for His Colonialist Past (opens La Nación, Grupo Nación in a new tab)
La Nación, Grupo Nación — is La Nación, Grupo Nación biased? Our profile of this outlet
- "Their Colonies Were Covering the Entire Planet": Benyamin Netanyahou Was Targeting France and the United Kingdom at the UN (opens Le Figaro in a new tab)
- Netanyahu addresses Britain and France: (opens news-pravda.com in a new tab)
news-pravda.com — is news-pravda.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
16- Netanyahu defends Israeli military action as delegates walk out before UN speech (opens The Namibian in a new tab)
The Namibian — is The Namibian biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Netanyahu at the UN: Attack on Countries that Criticize Israel's Settlement Policy - Erdogan a "Tyrant" (opens flight.com.gr in a new tab)
flight.com.gr — is flight.com.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Chahute at the UN, Netanyahu Defends Himself as He Can: "They Accuse the Tiny Israel of Colonialism?" (opens RTL Info in a new tab)
RTL Info — is RTL Info biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Netanyahu defends Israeli military action as delegates walk out before UN speech (opens KahawaTungu in a new tab)
KahawaTungu — is KahawaTungu biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Netanyahu Attacks France and the United Kingdom - UN General Assembly (opens economica.net in a new tab)
economica.net — is economica.net biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Netanyahu defends Israeli military action as delegates walk out before UN speech (opens MSNBCTV NEWS in a new tab)
MSNBCTV NEWS — is MSNBCTV NEWS biased? Our profile of this outlet
- News Bulletin at 23:00 (opens ΑΘΗΝΑ 9,84 in a new tab)
ΑΘΗΝΑ 9,84 — is ΑΘΗΝΑ 9,84 biased? Our profile of this outlet
- United States. "What Colonialism?" Netanyahu Defends His Policy in the Face of a Sparse UN Assembly (opens vosgesmatin.fr in a new tab)
vosgesmatin.fr — is vosgesmatin.fr biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 8 more
- United States. "What Colonialism?" Netanyahu Defends His Policy in the Face of a Sparse UN Assembly (opens republicain-lorrain.fr in a new tab)
republicain-lorrain.fr — is republicain-lorrain.fr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- United States. "What Colonialism?" Netanyahu Defends His Policy in the Face of a Sparse UN Assembly (opens lejsl.com in a new tab)
- United States. "What Colonialism?": Netanyahu Defends His Policy in the Face of a Sparse UN Assembly (opens lalsace.fr in a new tab)
lalsace.fr — is lalsace.fr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- United States. "What Colonialism?" Netanyahu Defends His Policy in the Face of a Sparse UN Assembly (opens estrepublicain.fr in a new tab)
estrepublicain.fr — is estrepublicain.fr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- United States. "What Colonialism?": Netanyahu Defends His Policy in the Face of a Sparse UN Assembly (opens bienpublic.com in a new tab)
bienpublic.com — is bienpublic.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Netanyahu: Erdogan Is a Tyrant, Illegally Occupying the Northern Part of Cyprus (opens sigmalive.com in a new tab)
sigmalive.com — is sigmalive.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Netanyahu Whistled (and Isolated) to the U.N.: "Codardi. London and Paris Colonialists" (opens Domani in a new tab)
Domani — is Domani biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Netanyahu to the UN: Turkey Threatens Greece - Illegally Occupies the Northern Part of Cyprus (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
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