When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to the podium to address the UN General Assembly on Thursday, the chamber was almost empty.
Dozens of delegates walked out of the hall in protest of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and Lebanon, leaving Mr Netanyahu to address an almost empty hall.
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During his speech, Mr Netanyahu, however, fiercely defended his country’s military campaigns in Iran, Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East.
He said, “We’re going to win. We have no other choice.”
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Mr Netanyahu described delegates who walked out as “moral cowards” and asked those who haven’t “left the hall” to “please do so now.”
Walking is a tradition at the UN General Assembly. It communicates diplomatic and political opposition to a state’s policy.
In the case of Israel, it is a protest against its genocidal campaign in the Middle East. PREMIUM TIMES reports that Jerusalem has repeatedly violated truce terms in Gaza as well as Lebanon and carried out attacks that drew public condemnation.
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Israel’s repeated attempt to stop the supply of aid to Palestinians in Gaza, including the interception of the humanitarian flotilla which sought to bring essential supplies to the Gaza Strip in May and the abuse of activists aboard the ship, has also drawn widespread indignation. Delegates walked out on Israel at the UN in 2025 and 2024 for similar reasons.
However, the Israeli leader rejected accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, calling it the biggest lie of the century.
READ ALSO: Turkey requests international arrest warrant for Netanyahu over Gaza flotilla arrest
The Israeli leader, who is facing a tough race for re-election next month, argued that by defending itself, Israel is also defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall.
Mr Netanyahu reminded the assembly of the scale of the Hamas militants’ attack in 2023, killing about 1,200 people.
He went on to label Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “tyrant” and accused him of supporting the Palestinian armed group Hamas.
He also criticised New York City’s left-leaning mayor Zohran Mamdani, who had previously vowed to arrest the Israeli leader but later admitted he did not have the authority to do so.
“Since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York,” the Israeli prime minister said.
But Mr Mamdani, in response, called the claim a baseless lie.
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