Netanyahu faces a nearly empty chamber as 77 delegations withdraw before his UN speech

Dozens of diplomatic delegations walked out of the United Nations General Assembly hall as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the podium to deliver his address.

Footage from inside the hall showed large numbers of country representatives leaving their seats before the speech began, while other delegations remained in their places. According to media reports, 77 countries boycotted Netanyahu’s address, a scene described by Israeli media as “dramatic.”

In response to the mass walkout, Netanyahu addressed those who remained in the hall from the podium: “If there are more cowards who have not left the hall, I ask them to leave now.”

He described those who walked out as “morally cowardly,” adding that Israel, “while defending itself, is also defending many of the countries whose delegations left the hall.”

This marked the third time Netanyahu has been boycotted in this manner since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, reflecting a rise in international criticism of Israel’s policies.