Delegates Leave Hall During Netanyahu's Speech at UN

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood to speak at the UN General Assembly on Thursday, the chamber was nearly empty.

Many delegates walked out of the hall to protest Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Lebanon. This left Mr Netanyahu addressing an almost vacant space.

In his speech, Mr Netanyahu strongly defended Israel’s military actions in Iran, Gaza, and other parts of the Middle East. He stated, “We’re going to win. We have no other choice.”

Mr Netanyahu called those who walked out “moral cowards” and urged those still present to “please do so now.”

Walking out is a common practice at the UN General Assembly. It shows diplomatic and political disagreement with a country’s actions. In Israel's case, it protests its violent actions in the Middle East. PREMIUM TIMES has reported that Israel has often broken truce agreements in Gaza and Lebanon, leading to public outcry.

Israel has also tried to stop aid from reaching Palestinians in Gaza. This includes stopping a humanitarian flotilla in May that aimed to deliver essential supplies and mistreating activists on board. Delegates have walked out on Israel in 2024 and 2025 for similar reasons.

But the Israeli leader dismissed claims that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. He called it the biggest lie of the century. Mr Netanyahu, who is preparing for a tough re-election next month, believes that by defending Israel, he is also protecting other countries whose delegates left the hall.

He reminded everyone about the scale of the Hamas attack in 2023, which killed around 1,200 people. He called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “tyrant” and accused him of backing Hamas.

He also took aim at New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani. The mayor had previously promised to arrest Mr Netanyahu but later said he lacked the power to do so. Mr Netanyahu said, “Since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York.”

In response, Mr Mamdani described the accusation as a baseless lie.