Dozens of UN delegates walked out as Israeli PM Netanyahu delivered a defiant speech at the UN General Assembly, accusing global leaders of spreading false claims of genocide in Gaza. Netanyahu, who is set to address the 81st session, faced a sparsely populated chamber after a mass walkout.
Netanyahu, who is prone to using visual aids during his General Assembly speeches, at one point held up a pager while reminding the audience of September 17, 2024, when Israel remotely detonated thousands of pagers that had been distributed to the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. The pager attack wounded more than 3,000 people and killed 12, including two children.
The Palestinian Mission to the UN said in a message to many of the 193 UN member nations to bring as many staff as possible to the assembly hall and 'collectively walk out of the assembly' once the Israeli prime minister is announced. This will send a clear message to Netanyahu and his government that no one is willing to aid, abet, or be complicit in its genocide and war crimes and illegal occupation, which all peace-loving states and peoples demand must come to an end.