Mass walkout at UN as Netanyahu takes the stage

Dozens of delegates at the United Nations General Assembly walked out in protest on Friday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to deliver his address.

Footage posted on social media showed representatives from multiple countries rising from their seats and exiting the chamber, leaving the assembly hall largely empty as Netanyahu took the podium.

The rare protest came amid Israel’s escalating military campaign in Gaza, where a near-total blockade on humanitarian aid has created famine conditions and killed hundreds of civilians. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its invasion in October 2023. Israeli leaders have openly stated plans to expel remaining Palestinians from the enclave.

Israel’s diplomatic isolation has deepened in recent weeks, with France, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia all formally recognising Palestine as an independent state.

Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, said the walkout underscored Israel’s growing pariah status.

“I don’t recall seeing such a large walkout for quite some time at UNGA,” he said. “Israel has chosen to be a pariah and is increasingly treated as such by the international community.”

Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, wrote that she envied the delegates who walked out.

“Those who walked out when Netanyahu was speaking at the UN are the fortunate ones. Those of us who listened online are feeling sick. He is such a bold-faced liar and a mass murderer.”

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who has pledged to arrest Netanyahu on war crimes charges filed by the International Criminal Court if he enters the city during his tenure, also condemned the Israeli leader.

“This morning, Benjamin Netanyahu will address the United Nations — an institution which has concluded his government is committing a genocide of Palestinians in Gaza,” he posted.

Mamdani noted Netanyahu’s flight path to New York had avoided countries that might enforce the ICC’s arrest warrant and added: “During the course of his speech, another Palestinian child will undoubtedly be killed by the Israeli military in Gaza, as they have been every single hour for nearly two years.”