UN : Netanyahu delivers speech at the to a nearly empty hall

NEW YORK, (Palestine Foundation Information Center ) The United Nations General Assembly Hall witnessed a mass walkout by dozens of diplomatic delegations just before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his speech on Friday evening. The resulting scene, a nearly empty hall, starkly reflected the growing international rejection of Israel’s policies and its actions in Gaza.

Photos and videos captured the moment many country representatives exited as Netanyahu took the podium, leaving only the Israeli delegation and a handful of others in attendance.

Channel 12 in Israel described the walkout as “evidence of the world’s negative perception of Israel,” while other Israeli media outlets called it “a public embarrassment for Netanyahu before the international community.”

During the incident, the President of the General Assembly attempted to contain the situation, urging, “Please respect the session rules… please take your seats,” but most delegations continued to leave.

Media reports revealed that the Palestinian mission to the UN had circulated a message to delegations in New York, calling for a coordinated walkout at the start of Netanyahu’s speech. The goal was to send a clear message: the international community “will not be complicit in genocide, war crimes, and illegal occupation.”

According to the Hebrew-language Walla news site, the message asked delegations to attend the session in large numbers from the morning, then exit collectively as Netanyahu took the stage, ensuring the moment would be documented and broadcast to global public opinion.

Coinciding with Netanyahu’s speech, massive demonstrations took place in New York and several other US cities in support of Gaza and in condemnation of Israel’s actions. Protesters denounced Netanyahu’s presence, referring to him as a war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court, and carried signs demanding an end to the war and accountability for Israel’s violations.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with US and European support, has carried out a campaign of genocide in Gaza, involving killing, starvation, destruction, displacement, and mass arrests, in defiance of international appeals and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt its actions.

The campaign has resulted in over 231,000 Palestinian casualties, including deaths and injuries, the majority being women and children, and more than 11,000 missing persons. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced, famine has claimed many lives (mostly children), and widespread destruction has erased much of Gaza’s cities and regions from the map.