Several politicians and diplomats walked out during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s UN speech
During Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the UN on Friday at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, a number of diplomats and leaders left the room.
According to the Daily Mail, the large-scale walkout was a protest against the Israeli military operation in Gaza, where the war has claimed the lives of over 42,252 Palestinians. The decision of the ambassadors to go as Netanyahu started his speech was partly influenced by the rising violence in Lebanon, which has witnessed many strikes on Hezbollah in recent days.
Mass walkout of UN delegates at the UNGA as diplomats exit the assembly in protest of Netanyahu’s address pic.twitter.com/oJGWZHyUFF
— TheArmchairAnalyst (@Sitting_Analyst) September 27, 2024
Videos that went viral on social media showed the delegates leaving the venue while Netanyahu kept talking at the platform. Boos and shouts resounded as Netanyahu entered the hall and was presented, and several delegates left via different exits. In addition, the Israeli prime minister encountered anti-war protesters who voiced their objections to the war in Gaza outside the UN building in New York.
“Slander and lies”
In his remarks, Netanyahu noted that although he had first thought about skipping the event, he felt obliged to address what he termed the “lies and slander” that other international leaders have directed against Israel. He reaffirmed his support for Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Lebanon and promised that Israel would not stop them.
Speaking to the globe from the UN on Friday, Netanyahu indicated that there were still many unresolved crises in the Middle East. He also pledged to keep fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon and to crush Hamas in the Gaza Strip until he achieved “total victory.”
Israeli Forces Attacked Hezbollah’s Headquarters
Blasts shook Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, just after the prime minister finished speaking, and the Israeli military claimed to have hit Hezbollah’s headquarters. Although the precise target was first unclear, it was important enough that Netanyahu decided to fly unusually on the Jewish Sabbath to return home and shorten his vacation to New York by one day.
“Israel is fully entitled to eliminate this menace and securely repatriate our people to their homes. And that’s precisely what we’re doing,” Netanyahu said, drawing cheers from supporters standing in the General Assembly gallery. He said, “We’ll keep weakening Hezbollah until all of our goals are achieved.”
In an attempt to defuse the rapidly spiraling crisis in Lebanon, where Israel has been hitting Hezbollah targets nonstop for the past week, killing hundreds of people and igniting fears that the conflict may turn into a full-scale war, Netanyahu also made a speech during an international mediation effort.
In order to facilitate talks, the US, France, and other allies collectively demanded a 21-day cease-fire “immediately” on Wednesday night. Hezbollah hasn’t formally replied to the cease-fire request, but it has said it won’t stop shooting until the Gaza conflict is over, according to Israel, which indicated on Thursday that talks were still in progress.
