Dozens of delegates left the United Nations General Assembly hall in New York on Thursday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his address at the 81st session.
The walkout began shortly after Netanyahu took the podium and was encouraged by the Palestinian Mission to the UN ahead of its own scheduled appearance later in the day, Hindustan Times reported.
Netanyahu responded by criticising the departing delegates, referring to them as “phony human rights protesters” before challenging others in the hall to leave.
“Where were you when the Iranian tyrants butchered and maimed tens of thousands of unarmed Iranian civilians?” he asked.
He then said: “If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t yet left this hall, please do so now.”
A complete, officially confirmed list of countries whose representatives walked out was not immediately available.
However, photographs from the convention centre showed empty seats associated with delegations from Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Algeria, Iran, Malaysia, Montenegro and Kyrgyzstan.
Jordan, Libya, the Marshall Islands and Mauritius were also among countries with empty seats.
The report noted that the departures did not necessarily mean every representative of those countries had left the chamber. Some delegations reportedly retained at least one representative inside, while others walked out in protest.
The walkout added to the disruption surrounding Netanyahu’s appearance at the General Assembly, where he also turned his attention to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Netanyahu criticised Mamdani, who has been a vocal critic of the Israeli prime minister and Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
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