Netanyahu's UN speech sparks mass walkout

Summary Dozens of delegates walked out of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his address, leaving a large portion of the hall empty. The Iranian delegation also left the hall during Netanyahu's speech. The Israeli prime minister also sharply criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over his support for the Palestinians and criticism of Israel, calling him a 'tyrant'. AI Generated Summary Dozens of delegates walked out of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his address, leaving a large portion of the hall empty. The walkout came amid strong international criticism of Israel's military actions and Netanyahu's policies. Some delegates also booed as he took the podium, while members of the Israeli delegation stood and applauded. The president of the General Assembly repeatedly called for order. The Iranian delegation also left the hall during Netanyahu's speech. A framed photograph of slain Iranian Quds Force commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani was left on the Iranian delegation's desk after its representatives departed. Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020. The photograph became a prominent image during the walkout and was widely seen as a symbolic response to Netanyahu's address. Netanyahu responded to the mass departure by calling the delegates who walked out 'moral cowards' and told those who remained that they could also leave. He defended Israel's military actions and argued that Israel was acting in its own defence as well as protecting other countries. He also claimed that some leaders whose representatives had left the chamber had privately thanked Israel for its actions against Iran. A major part of Netanyahu's speech focused on Iran. He claimed that the Iranian government would eventually fall and said the day was not far away when the Iranian people would be free. He argued that Iran's leadership was particularly concerned about its own population and its access to information. During the speech, Netanyahu held up a Starlink satellite internet terminal. He said the technology could help Iranians access information and communicate despite restrictions on the internet. He then handed the device to the UN president, saying it could eventually be passed to the Iranian delegation so that Iranian officials could communicate freely and share their experiences on social media. Netanyahu also displayed a pager while speaking about Hezbollah. Referring to the September 2024 pager explosions in Lebanon, he reminded the assembly of Israel's operations against the Iran-backed group. The pager attacks killed and wounded thousands of people and became one of the most significant incidents in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. The Israeli prime minister also sharply criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over his support for the Palestinians and criticism of Israel, calling him a 'tyrant'. Netanyahu accused Turkey of spreading what he described as antisemitic narratives and objected to Erdogan's statements regarding Jerusalem.