UN Delegates Storm Out of Netanyahu’s Speech Following Palestinian Leader Cheers

Delegates at the United Nations General Assembly, or UNGA, conspicuously vacated the premises during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address, in an event that took place on Friday.

Attendees had dedicated significant time discussing the conflict in Gaza and potential resolutions for the close to two-year war. The mass departure during Netanyahu’s speech stands in stark contrast to the extended applause received by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas when he delivered his address virtually on the previous day.

As Netanyahu commenced his speech, he found himself addressing a largely vacant hall. The evidence suggests that the identities of the delegations that remained present are uncertain, although it is known that U.S. representatives stayed. Regardless of the thin audience inside the assembly, Netanyahu’s words were not confined to the hall. Reports indicate that the Prime Minister’s speech was broadcast not only across loudspeakers encircling the Gaza Strip but also to Gazans’ mobile phones.

You May Also Like: Agencies Told to Draft Mass Firing Plans as Shutdown Looms, Report Says

Following a message directed at hostages in both Hebrew and English, Netanyahu unfolded the extensive outreach of his address. He reassured, “Our brave heroes, this is Prime Minister Netanyahu speaking to you live from the United Nations. We have not forgotten you, not even for a second. The people of Israel are with you. We will not falter, and we will not rest until we bring all of you home.”

When Abbas addressed the UNGA on Thursday, he criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide,” asserting his readiness to assume the security and management of the enclave. Abbas appealed to then-President Donald Trump for peace and sought “full membership in the United Nations.” He underscored that several European nations have recognized a Palestinian state during the course of the UNGA. “Palestine is ours. Jerusalem is the jewel of our hearts and our eternal capital. We will not leave our homeland. We will not leave our lands,” Abbas proclaimed.

According to reliable sources, Abbas’s address to the UNGA was delivered digitally after the U.S. State Department declined to approve his visa for travel to New York for the conference, citing support of terrorism.