Dozens of diplomats and foreign delegates walked out of the United Nations General Assembly chamber in New York as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his address on September 24, amid continuing international criticism of Israel's military actions in the Middle East.
The walkout was accompanied by protests and chants inside the chamber, while demonstrations were also reported outside the United Nations. The departure of delegates created a visible disruption as Netanyahu took the podium to deliver his speech, reported Fox News.
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Netanyahu responded sharply to those who left, describing them as “moral cowards” and telling other delegates that they were free to leave as well. He used the address to defend Israel's military campaign, arguing that the country was acting in self-defense and reaffirming that Israel would continue its military operations until what he described as “full victory” against its adversaries, as per the Bloomberg.
Netanyahu also defended Israel's strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities, "it was very hard to do, but for me, it was one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make as prime minister. Because if we hadn't done it, we'd all be dead."
'Where were you when the Iranian tyrants butchered and maimed tens of thousands of unarmed Iranian civilians? When they butchered and maimed thousands of their own people? Where were you? Did you organize mass rallies, hunger strikes?"
He added, quoted by Fox News, "Did you protest outside the Iranian mission to the UN? Did you speak out for that matter, for Christians persecuted in Iran and throughout the Middle East?' No, no, you didn't, because you're phony human rights protesters."
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The Israeli prime minister also praised US President Donald Trump for American military action against Iran. During the speech, he criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and political commentator Hasan Piker, broadening his remarks beyond the immediate conflict.
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