UN Delegates Walk Out During Netanyahu Speech at General Assembly

Dozens of United Nations delegates walked out of the General Assembly hall as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the body in New York, the BBC reported. Netanyahu called those leaving "moral cowards" and told others who felt similarly to leave as well, according to the BBC.

The walkout underscores Israel's diplomatic isolation at the UN amid the ongoing war in Gaza, which began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023. Israeli authorities reported about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage in that attack. Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 73,920 people, according to the territory's health ministry though this figure is highly disputed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response rebuked delegates and protesters who walked out during his UN General Assembly speech Thursday, calling them "phony human rights protesters" who remained silent while Iran's regime killed its own civilians, according to UN Web TV footage of the address.

"Where were you when the Iranian tyrants butchered and maimed tens of thousands of unarmed Iranian civilians?" Netanyahu asked those who left the hall. He challenged whether they organized rallies, protested outside Iran's UN mission, or spoke up for persecuted Christians in the Middle East. "You didn't do that, because you're phony human rights protesters," he stated.

The confrontation underscores Israel's increasingly isolated position at the UN, where the prime minister has repeatedly clashed with international bodies over their criticism of Israeli military operations while downplaying threats from Tehran and its proxies.