Dozens of delegates walked out as Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel’s military actions, attacked Iran’s leadership and displayed Starlink and a Hezbollah pager.
NEW YORK: Dozens of delegates walked out of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his address, leaving large sections of the hall empty during a speech dominated by Israel’s military actions, Iran and criticism of his government.
The walkout was accompanied by boos and jeers from some delegates, while members of the Israeli delegation stood and applauded. The president of the General Assembly repeatedly called for order as representatives left the chamber. Reuters and the Associated Press reported that scores of delegates took part in the protest.
The Iranian delegation also left during Netanyahu’s speech. A photograph of late Iranian Quds Force commander Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani was left at the Iranian delegation’s place after its representatives departed. Images from the session showed the portrait prominently displayed as Netanyahu addressed the assembly. Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020.
Netanyahu responded to the walkout by calling those who left “moral cowards” and telling others who remained that they could also leave. He defended Israel’s military operations, saying Israel was acting to protect itself and other countries. He also claimed that some leaders whose representatives had left the chamber had privately thanked Israel for its actions against Iran.
Iran was a central theme of the address. Netanyahu said Iran’s government would eventually fall and argued that the Iranian leadership feared its own population and access to information.
During the speech, he held up a Starlink satellite internet terminal, saying the technology could help Iranians access information and communicate despite restrictions on internet access. Netanyahu said he would leave the device with the General Assembly president so it could be passed to the Iranian delegation. Reports later said an Iranian representative declined to accept the device.
Netanyahu also displayed a pager while referring to Israel’s 2024 operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon. He invoked the pager and related communications-device attacks that killed and wounded thousands of people, according to reports, as he highlighted Israel’s confrontation with the Iran-backed group.
The Israeli prime minister also criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling him a “tyrant” and objecting to his support for the Palestinians and comments concerning Jerusalem. Netanyahu additionally attacked international criticism of Israel over Gaza and rejected allegations that Israel was committing genocide, describing the accusation as “the biggest lie of the century.”
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