NEW YORK, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The mass departure of 77 delegations from the United Nations General Assembly hall ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech sparked widespread reaction on social media, with users describing the scene as a major rebuke of Israel and a sign of its growing international isolation.
Footage from the hall showed many delegations leaving before Netanyahu began speaking, leaving a limited audience behind as protest chants and condemnations could be heard.
According to Israeli reports, representatives of 77 countries were absent during Netanyahu’s speech. Several delegations walked out shortly before he took the podium, while representatives of other countries had not been in their seats from the outset.
The walkout also drew significant attention in Israeli media. Israel’s Channel 14 described it as a “spit in Israel’s face,” while Yedioth Ahronoth called it a “dramatic protest.”
Haaretz, meanwhile, described Netanyahu’s speech as repetitive and boring, adding that it was aimed primarily at his right-wing political base and US President Donald Trump amid what the newspaper described as the Israeli prime minister’s growing international isolation.
International media also highlighted the walkout. The Guardian reported that Netanyahu vowed to “finish the job” in Gaza as delegates left the hall in protest, while The Washington Post presented the walkout as part of the growing global backlash against Israeli policies. Britain’s Independent said Netanyahu was effectively speaking to an audience of one.
At the same time as Netanyahu addressed the UN, protesters gathered near Times Square in New York, demanding an end to Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip.
The scenes came amid Israel’s continuing war on Gaza, which has caused massive civilian casualties and destruction and intensified international criticism of Israeli policies toward Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.
