The Hebrew newspaper Maariv has detailed the scenes surrounding Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the United Nations General Assembly, including the departure of numerous delegations as the Israeli prime minister took the podium.
According to the newspaper, “when Netanyahu took the stage, many representatives left, while crowds in the hall simultaneously chanted, ‘The people of Israel live’.”
Maariv reported that the representative of the United Arab Emirates remained in the hall, alongside representatives from 122 other countries from around the world. These included Britain, France, the United States, Bahrain, Ethiopia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Norway and Italy, among others.
Delegations Walk Out as Netanyahu Takes the Stage
Delegations from several countries walked out of the UN General Assembly hall in New York on Thursday as Netanyahu began his speech, in a scene that was repeated for the second consecutive year.
Footage from inside the chamber showed a large number of delegates leaving their seats before Netanyahu began speaking, amid chants and protests. Other footage showed large sections of the hall remaining empty during his address. Independent coverage also confirmed that dozens of delegates walked out as Netanyahu took the podium.
Netanyahu reacted angrily to the departures, saying: “If there are any more cowards who have not left the hall, I ask them to leave now.”
He went on to claim that the Israeli occupation “is defending itself and is also defending many of the countries whose delegations left the hall a short while ago”.
