Wednesday, 01 October, 2025
Scores of diplomats walked out of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, to protest the ongoing genocide in Gaza and Israel's repeated attacks against several countries across the Middle East.
As soon as Netanyahu took the stage, several diplomats could be seen walking out in haste as Netanyahu entered the great hall to speak from the podium, replicating an act of protest carried out last year, according to international news agencies and media.
The walkout created a line at the exits as people left the room, while the US delegation applauded Netanyahu, who stood in silence during the protest.
The Brazilian delegation could be seen wearing the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh, whilst some of the diplomats that remained either cheered in support or began taking selfies and videos of the protest action.
For the past week, the Palestinian Authority's mission to the UN had sent letters to world leaders encouraging them to walk out on Netanyahu during his speech, decrying him as a "war criminal."
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu in November 2024, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Gaza since October 2023.
In his speech, a defiant Netanyahu - who has led Israel to grow increasingly isolated - said he had reshaped the Middle East as he boasted about Israel's regional attacks and assassinations.
"You remember those beepers, the pagers, we paged Hezbollah, and believe me, they got the message," he said.
Netanyahu, who is also facing a long-running corruption trial at home in Israel, then took credit for the fall of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, failing to mention the rebel offensive, which was backed by Turkey and Qatar, that led to his ouster.
Sporting a large QR code on his lapel, Netanyahu then heaped praise on US President Donald Trump "for his bold and decisive action" in attacking Iran's nuclear strikes this summer.
Israel launched its unprecedented attack on the Islamic Republic on 13 June, and repeatedly targeted the country's military and nuclear facilities, as well as assassinated high-profile security, intelligence officials and military commanders, and scientists.
In response, Iran fired barrages of missiles towards Haifa, Tel Aviv and other major Israeli cities, striking several sensitive areas.
Trump's strikes on Iran's three nuclear facilities - the first such act by any US president - came just over a week after Israel began its assault.
Since then, Israel's military censor, as a matter of policy, barred local and international media outlets from publishing the details of the exact locations targeted by Iran.
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Scores of diplomats walked out of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, to protest the ongoing genocide in Gaza and Israel's repeated attacks against several countries across the Middle East.
As soon as Netanyahu took the stage, several diplomats could be seen walking out in haste as Netanyahu entered the great hall to speak from the podium, replicating an act of protest carried out last year, according to international news agencies and media.
The walkout created a line at the exits as people left the room, while the US delegation applauded Netanyahu, who stood in silence during the protest.
The Brazilian delegation could be seen wearing the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh, whilst some of the diplomats that remained either cheered in support or began taking selfies and videos of the protest action.
For the past week, the Palestinian Authority's mission to the UN had sent letters to world leaders encouraging them to walk out on Netanyahu during his speech, decrying him as a "war criminal."
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu in November 2024, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Gaza since October 2023.
In his speech, a defiant Netanyahu - who has led Israel to grow increasingly isolated - said he had reshaped the Middle East as he boasted about Israel's regional attacks and assassinations.
"You remember those beepers, the pagers, we paged Hezbollah, and believe me, they got the message," he said.
Netanyahu, who is also facing a long-running corruption trial at home in Israel, then took credit for the fall of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, failing to mention the rebel offensive, which was backed by Turkey and Qatar, that led to his ouster.
Sporting a large QR code on his lapel, Netanyahu then heaped praise on US President Donald Trump "for his bold and decisive action" in attacking Iran's nuclear strikes this summer.
Israel launched its unprecedented attack on the Islamic Republic on 13 June, and repeatedly targeted the country's military and nuclear facilities, as well as assassinated high-profile security, intelligence officials and military commanders, and scientists.
In response, Iran fired barrages of missiles towards Haifa, Tel Aviv and other major Israeli cities, striking several sensitive areas.
Trump's strikes on Iran's three nuclear facilities - the first such act by any US president - came just over a week after Israel began its assault.
Since then, Israel's military censor, as a matter of policy, barred local and international media outlets from publishing the details of the exact locations targeted by Iran.
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