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Netanyahu Calls Departing UN Delegates 'Moral Cowards' After Dozens Walk Out as He Took the Podium

Dozens of envoys left the chamber as Netanyahu defended Israel’s wars in Gaza and Iran and called departing delegates “moral cowards,” officials said.

  • On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly, where dozens of delegates walked out in protest as he reached the rostrum, leaving large sections of the chamber visibly empty.
  • The Palestinian Mission to the UN urged representatives from 193 nations to "collectively walk out of the assembly" to protest Israel's military actions in Gaza and alleged war crimes and illegal occupation.
  • Netanyahu branded the departing delegates "moral cowards" and defended Israel's strikes on Iran as "one of the easiest decisions" he has made, claiming many world leaders privately thanked him for the action.
  • The address followed a bitter public feud with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who accused Netanyahu of war crimes and called for his arrest; Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon defended the trip as necessary.
  • With Israel's general election roughly five weeks away, analysts described the address as a "campaign speech" targeting both Mamdani and Iran; Netanyahu departed on a "tight schedule" before the Jewish holiday of Sukkot began Friday.
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133 Articles

Center

Eclat at the United Nations: When Israel's Prime Minister took the floor, dozens of diplomats left the hall. Netanyahu reacted sharply - and defended the wars in the Middle East.

·Hamburg, Germany
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Many delegates leave the room when the Israeli Prime Minister gives his speech. In protests around the UN building, the New York police also arrest Hollywood stars.

·Munich, Germany
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Right

Many country representatives left the room at the United Nations in protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before his speech.

·Vienna, Austria
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Center

The Israeli Prime Minister has accused those who left the plenary when he took the floor of being "moral cowards"

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olympia broke the news on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
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