Israel's growing diplomatic isolation was on stark display at the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday as scores of delegates walked out when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the podium, leaving much of the hall empty as he defended Israel's wars and lashed out at his critics.
The protest began as Netanyahu approached the rostrum, with cheers and boos echoing through the chamber before scores of diplomats filed out. General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman repeatedly called for order as the walkout unfolded.
The Palestinian Mission to the U.N. had urged delegations from the 193-member body to participate in a coordinated walkout, saying it would send a message that governments would not be complicit in "genocide and war crimes and illegal occupation."
Netanyahu responded defiantly from the podium.
"If there are any other moral cowards who have not yet left the hall, please do so now," he said.
The Israeli prime minister also defended his decision to attack Iran, calling it "one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make."
Netanyahu argued that Israel's military actions were protecting countries whose representatives had walked out of the chamber, claiming that some of their leaders had privately thanked Israel for its actions against Iran.
"In defending itself, Israel is also defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall," Netanyahu said.
His address came as Israel faces mounting international pressure over its genocidal policies in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. At least 73,922 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's attacks in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. Israel's indiscriminate attacks have left much of the territory devastated and reconstruction efforts have stalled.
At one point, he held up a pager while referring to Israel's September 2024 operation targeting Hezbollah members in Lebanon. The pager explosions wounded more than 3,000 people and killed 12, including two children.
The scenes inside the General Assembly contrasted sharply with Netanyahu's insistence that Israel would continue its military course.
"We will continue to win because we have no other choice," he said, while thanking U.S. President Donald Trump for his actions against Iran.
Earlier Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the General Assembly by prerecorded video after the United States denied him and other senior Palestinian officials visas to attend the gathering for a second consecutive year.
"We will not leave our homeland. We will not accept displacement. And we will not allow anyone to decide our future on our behalf," Abbas said.
Abbas called for stronger international action against Israel and renewed his appeal for a two-state solution. Netanyahu has rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state while he remains prime minister.
Signs of Netanyahu's contentious reception extended beyond the U.N. headquarters. More than 100 protesters gathered in New York during his address, demanding that he face prosecution over Israel's military actions. Some demonstrators were detained by police.
The mass diplomatic walkout, protests outside the U.N. and growing international criticism underscored the widening divide between Netanyahu's government and many of Israel's traditional partners as the conflicts in Gaza and the wider region continue.
