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Delegations walk out during Benjamin Netanyahu's UN General Assembly address

Earlier-generation briefing · Verification upgrade pending

What happened

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly, during which numerous delegations walked out of the chamber.

During his speech, Netanyahu defended Israel's military operations in Gaza, Iran, and the Middle East, while characterizing genocide allegations as the "biggest lie of the century" and labeling protesters as "moral cowards."

Netanyahu described his decision to attack Iran as one of the easiest he has made, and footage captured an Israeli delegation member checking tables following the walkout.

Why it matters

The walkout reflects international diplomatic friction regarding Israel's military actions, which were reported to have killed more than 73,000 Gazans between October 7, 2023, and September 2026.

Context

Benjamin Netanyahu has served as Israel's Prime Minister since 2022, and 77 nations were reported to have boycotted his UN speech.

The UAE delegation remained seated during the address. Security and strategic cooperation between the two nations has included the deployment of the Iron Dome system in the UAE and high-level diplomatic visits.

Sources 8 sources

This briefing cites 5 publishers across 5 detected independent reporting streams. Some cited articles appear to be syndicated or near-duplicate coverage, so they are not counted as separate corroboration.