Netanyahu rages as delegates abandon his UN speech
The Palestine Chronicle reports on 24 September 2026:
Key Developments
- Dozens of diplomats walked out as Netanyahu approached the podium, following a Palestinian appeal for delegates to boycott his address.
- Netanyahu called those who left “moral cowards” and attacked protesters as “phony human rights protesters.”
- The speech came amid an ICC arrest warrant, mounting international condemnation and an absence of meetings with senior US or Western officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced a mass diplomatic walkout as he addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday. Dozens of representatives rose from their seats and left the chamber as Netanyahu approached the podium, leaving large sections of the hall empty before he began speaking.
The walkout followed an appeal from the Palestinian mission to the UN, which had urged diplomats to interrupt Netanyahu’s appearance with an organized departure. In its message to delegations, the Palestinian mission described Netanyahu as a “war criminal” and said a mass walkout would demonstrate that the international community would not remain silent in the face of genocide, war crimes and Israel’s illegal occupation.
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Retired Israeli diplomat Alon Liel described the visit as unprecedented in its isolation. “There has never been such a humiliating visit to the UN for an Israeli prime minister,” Liel said. “Netanyahu can meet Argentine and Greek leaders, but he cannot meet any American politician or official,” he added. “This means not only Europeans but also Americans are avoiding him.” “Even in the US, Netanyahu is acting like an unwanted person,” Liel said.