ISLAMABAD: Dozens of delegates walked out of the United Nations General Assembly hall as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the podium to address the 81st session on Thursday.
Only a small section of the audience, including the Israeli delegation, remained seated.
The walkout came amid heightened diplomatic tensions over Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the wider Middle East conflict. Video from the assembly showed large numbers of delegates leaving their seats as Netanyahu prepared to speak.
The incident followed a series of walkouts during the UN General Assembly’s high-level debate this week involving Cuba, Iran and Israel.
The Cuban delegation left the General Assembly hall on Tuesday while US President Donald Trump was delivering his 37-minute address. Trump described Cuba as an “absolutely failed state” and said its communist government would fall under mounting pressure. Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodríguez rejected Trump’s characterization as slanderous, according to the BBC.
Iranian delegates also walked out during Trump’s speech after the US president discussed the conflict with Iran and warned of further military action if an agreement was not reached. Trump had said at the UN that he could “annihilate” Iran if the conflict remained unresolved.
Earlier, the Israeli delegation left the General Assembly chamber while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was addressing the assembly. Erdogan criticized Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the West Bank, called for international pressure on Israel and urged broader recognition of a Palestinian state.
The Palestinian representatives remained in the chamber and applauded Erdogan’s remarks as the Israeli delegation departed.
The repeated walkouts have underscored the sharp diplomatic divisions at the 193-member General Assembly, where leaders have been addressing the conflicts in Gaza and Iran as well as wider international tensions.