Full List of Delegates from multiple countries Who Walked Out as Netanyahu Addresses UN
- Delegates from multiple countries left the hall as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his address at the 81st UNGA session in New York
- The walkout was encouraged by the Palestinian Mission to the UN, whose representatives were also set to speak at the assembly
- Netanyahu used his speech to criticise New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who had released a pro-Palestinian video just before the address
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Dozens of delegates left their seats and walked out of the United Nations General Assembly hall in New York on Thursday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to the podium for the 81st session.
The Palestinian Mission to the UN actively encouraged the walkout, according to Hindustan Times. Its own representatives were also scheduled to address the assembly later that day.
Source: Getty Images
Photographs from inside the convention centre showed empty seats assigned to Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Algeria, Iran, Malaysia, Montenegro, Kyrgyzstan, Jordan, Libya, the Marshall Islands and Mauritius, among others.
Hindustan Times noted, however, that several of those countries still had at least one delegate remaining inside the hall, meaning not all empty seats necessarily reflected an organised protest.
Supporters of Netanyahu inside the venue responded with cheers. The Israeli prime minister acknowledged those leaving in pointed terms, calling them "phony human rights protesters" and challenging their silence on Iranian state violence.
"Where were you when the Iranian tyrants butchered tens of thousands of unarmed Iranian civilians?" Netanyahu said from the podium. He then added: "If there are any other moral cowards who haven't yet left this hall, please do so now."
Netanyahu turns attention to New York City Mayor
Netanyahu also used his speech to directly address New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a vocal critic of Israel's military operations in Gaza and the West Bank.
Shortly before Netanyahu's address, Mamdani had released a video of himself planting an olive tree, a cultural symbol closely associated with Palestine, at Gracie Mansion, the official mayoral residence. The footage also showed him sharing a meal with a Palestinian family.
Responding from the podium, Netanyahu said: "Mr. Mamdani, you tried to stop me from coming here. You tried to silence me. Well, you can't silence me, you can't silence the truth. And here's the simple truth. Israel didn't commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide."
He went further, saying: "The lies you and other antisemites spread about the Jews and the Jewish state have real consequences."
No confirmed full list of countries whose delegates walked out during the speech had been published at the time of reporting, though multiple media outlets described the number of departing diplomats as running into the dozens.
Source: Legit.ng
