Dozens of delegates walked out of the United Nations General Assembly hall in New York on Thursday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his address and defended Israel’s military action against Iran.
Netanyahu was approaching the podium when several delegations left the chamber. The walkout followed a call by the Palestinian Mission to the UN for representatives to leave during the Israeli prime minister’s speech.
Reacting to the departure, Netanyahu challenged those who remained to follow the other delegates out.
“If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t left the hall, please do so now,” he said.
Netanyahu used the address to defend Israel’s military action against Iran, particularly the strikes targeting the country’s nuclear facilities.
He acknowledged that destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities was difficult but described the decision as one of the easiest he had made as prime minister.
“Devastating Iran’s nuclear facilities was hard. 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,” Netanyahu said.
He argued that Israel had acted because, in his view, allowing Iran’s nuclear facilities to remain intact would have posed a serious threat to Israel and other countries.
“Because if we hadn’t done it, we’d all be dead,” he said.
The Israeli leader also claimed that Israel’s military action was ultimately protecting countries whose representatives had walked out of the chamber.
“In defending itself, Israel is also defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall,” Netanyahu said.
He further claimed that some foreign leaders had privately expressed appreciation for Israel’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear programme.
“In fact, I want you to know that many of their leaders even thank us privately for taking out Iran’s nukes,” he said.
Netanyahu described the reaction to Israel’s actions as “mind-blowing hypocrisy.”
“It’s hard to imagine more mind-blowing hypocrisy, but that’s exactly what it is,” he said.
Netanyahu Recalls Brother’s Role in Israel’s History
The Israeli prime minister also used his address to recount Israel’s experience during the 1967 Six-Day War and what he described as the country’s long struggle for survival.
He spoke about his brother, Yoni Netanyahu, an Israeli paratrooper who later led the 1976 operation to rescue hostages held at Entebbe Airport in Uganda.
Netanyahu recalled speaking with his brother before the Six-Day War and asking him what he believed would happen.
According to him, Yoni paused before responding.
“We’re going to win,” Netanyahu recalled his brother saying.
He added that Yoni told him, “We have no other choice.”
Netanyahu also recounted the 1976 hijacking of an Air France passenger plane that was taken to Entebbe, where Israeli forces later rescued 103 hostages.
“And then, on July 4th, 1976, the Bicentennial of the United States, in one of the most dramatic rescue missions in modern times, Yoni led his brave soldiers to the heart of Africa,” he said.
He added that the operation resulted in the rescue of the hostages.
“Miraculously, they rescued 103 Jewish hostages and brought them all home, every single one of them,” Netanyahu said.
More Walkouts at UN General Assembly
The walkout during Netanyahu’s address was the latest disruption at this year’s UN General Assembly.
On Tuesday, Iran’s delegation left the chamber during US President Donald Trump’s address after Trump threatened to “annihilate” Iran if Tehran failed to reach a deal with Washington.
The Cuban delegation also later walked out during Trump’s speech.
Netanyahu’s address came amid the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran and international criticism surrounding Israel’s military actions.
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