Dozens of international diplomats staged a mass walkout at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approached the podium to deliver his address, turning the opening moments of the speech into a highly visible diplomatic protest, reports said.
Delegates from several Arab and Muslim-majority countries, as well as nations including Colombia and South Africa, rose from their seats and left the assembly hall as Netanyahu took the floor. The departure left large sections of the chamber visibly empty, while the session chair repeatedly called for order and struck the gavel.
Netanyahu responded directly to those who walked out, condemning the protest and describing the departing delegates as “moral cowards.”
“If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t left the hall, please do so now,” Netanyahu said.
Those who remained in the chamber, along with members of the Israeli delegation, applauded and cheered as Netanyahu began his address.
During his roughly 40-minute speech, Netanyahu defended Israel’s military operations against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, arguing that Israel was fighting on multiple fronts and had no alternative but to continue its campaign.
“We’re going to win. We have no other choice,” he said.
Netanyahu also rejected allegations that Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide and accused the United Nations of longstanding institutional bias against Israel.
The diplomatic protest inside the General Assembly hall unfolded alongside demonstrations outside the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan. New York police detained at least 100 anti-war protesters, according to the account of the events, including actresses Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder.
The walkout and street demonstrations underscored the deep international divisions surrounding Israel’s military operations and the wider conflict in the Middle East. Netanyahu’s appearance at the UN became both a defense of Israel’s wartime policies and a focal point for opposition from governments and protesters critical of those policies.
