Israeli Politics · updated 2h ago · 2 min read
Dozens Of Delegates Walk Out As Benjamin Netanyahu Calls Them “Moral Cowards” At UNGA
Dozens of UN delegates walked out as Netanyahu spoke at the UNGA. Netanyahu labeled those leaving as 'moral cowards' and urged others to follow.
Netanyahu characterises the walkout as moral cowardice.
10 of 12 outlets skipped it: netanyahu attacked New York mayor Zohran Mamdani by name.
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CBC
“‘moral cowards’ a mass of delegates who walked out of the UN General Assembly when he took the podium to speak.”Read the original ↗
Most outlets relay the same insult; no meaningful framing split appears.
Walkout as Netanyahu speaks
Dozens of delegates left the UN General Assembly hall as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his speech at the 81st session in New York City, leaving many seats empty and delaying the start of his remarks by a few minutes. Netanyahu called the departing delegates “moral cowards” and urged, “If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t yet left this hall, please do so now.”
Empty seats included Saudi Arabia, Iran, and others during Netanyahu’s address, while 20Minutos described the walkout as a protest that left many seats empty. Netanyahu also framed the departures as part of a broader political dispute, with the Palestinian Mission to the UN encouraging the walkout as delegates were scheduled to speak later on Thursday.
Mamdani feud and accusations
Netanyahu used the UN podium to attack New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, accusing him of antisemitism and distorting facts about Israel as the speech unfolded amid boos and pro-Palestinian slogans.
Netanyahu told the General Assembly, “You tried to silence me. Well, you can’t silence me, you can’t silence the truth,” and he added, “Israel didn’t commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide.”
Spain took part in a boycott by dozens of UN members of the speech, while it was not among the delegations that stood up and walked out.
Hamas condemned Netanyahu’s speech as “an empty speech filled with lies and lame slogans,” and it described the movement’s statement as calling Netanyahu a “war criminal.”
International pressure and stakes
The walkout and Netanyahu’s remarks came as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the Assembly via video from Ramallah after the United States denied him a visa to attend in person in New York. Abbas warned that Palestinians were going through “one of the most dangerous moments in their history,” and he said the world had witnessed “the tremendous cost in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.”
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, and it quoted Mamdani saying the speech repeated “baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians.” Netanyahu responded to the protest by calling delegates leaving “phony human rights protesters,” and he also attacked the mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, during the UNGA speech.