World Leaders Walk Out in Protest as Netanyahu Addresses UNGA

Many delegates exited the United Nations General Assembly hall in protest as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his address during the 80th session.

Netanyahu, who is currently the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, used his speech to defend his genocidal war on Gaza.

He criticized the stance of various member states and the broader international community, asserting that his government must “finish the job” in the blockaded Palestinian territory.

The remarks by the Israeli prime minister came following speeches by dozens of world leaders criticizing Israel and calling for the end of its brutal war on Gaza.

Israel is confronting unprecedented isolation as diplomatic, cultural, and economic pressures mount.

The mass walkout symbolizes a broader international backlash against the war in Gaza, which is now manifesting in official state recognition of Palestine and widespread boycotts of Tel Aviv regime.

Growing isolation of Israel
Hamas said the walkout by UN member state delegations ahead of Netanyahu’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly signaled Israel’s increasing international isolation over the war in Gaza.

“Boycotting Netanyahu’s speech is one manifestation of Israel’s isolation and the consequences of the war of extermination,” Taher al-Nunu, media adviser to the head of Hamas’s political bureau, said in a statement.

In his speech, Netanyahu further rejected the global recognition of the Palestinian state by Israel’s closest Western and European allies and vowed Israel would continue its military offensive in Gaza to eliminate Hamas, despite international pressure.

“You didn’t do something right. You did something wrong, horribly wrong,” he said, arguing the move would spur further attacks on Jews and “innocent people everywhere.”

Traditional Israeli allies have become increasingly critical as the war on Gaza has stretched on, with the UK, France, Australia and Canada among those recently announcing recognition of a Palestinian state.

Using a familiar line, he claimed Palestinian statehood would reward groups such as Hamas – even though 157 states have now recognized the State of Palestine.

Netanyahu described genocide in Gaza as a “false charge”, despite recent UN commission findings.

A recent report by a commission mandated by the UN Human Rights office found earlier this month Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, a position supported by independent rights observers and an array of scholars and academics.

Elsewhere, the Israeli prime minister pointed to Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza City, pointing to forced displacement orders issued by the Israeli military beforehand.

At least 90 percent of Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced in the war. There have been repeated Israeli attacks on sites sheltering displaced Palestinians, including hospitals, schools and tent shelters, with aid and humanitarian groups warning that “nowhere is safe” in Gaza.

As Netanyahu neared the end of his speech, he claimed that Israel’s war, which has for nearly two years risked wider escalation, will instead lead to regional peace.

This comes as an Israeli strike earlier this month on Qatar has roiled Arab states of the Persian Gulf region, with experts saying the attack, along with the war on Gaza, dims the prospect of long-sought normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Commenting on the speech, Yair Lapid,  head of Israel’s opposition, criticized Netanyahu for delivering a UN address filled with “gimmicks,” calling him “tired and whining.”

“Netanyahu did not present his plan for bringing the hostages home, did not outline a path to end the war, and did not explain why, after two years, Hamas has still not been defeated,” Lapid said on social media.

“Instead of stopping the diplomatic tsunami – Netanyahu today worsened Israel’s situation,” he added.

Xavier Abu Eid, a political scientist and former communications director for the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the speech by Israel’s increasingly isolated prime minister before the UN General Assembly was unlikely to sway global public opinion over its genocidal war on Gaza.

He highlighted the “isolation” Netanyahu and Israel now face, reiterating the Israeli premier is wanted for war crimes by the ICC.

In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his war minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

A series of UN queries had already accused Israel of committing war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination in Gaza through its systematic attacks on the civilian sites and healthcare system.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 65,500 Palestinians have been killed, with more than 167,500 others injured since the beginning of the genocidal war in October 2023. Many victims of Israeli attacks remain trapped under the rubble and on the streets.