Netanyahu Faces Mass Walkout at United Nations General Assembly

Netanyahu attempted to defend Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, insisting that starvation claims were false and that Hamas was using civilians as human shields. But as he spoke, Arab, Muslim, African, and Latin American delegations filed out of the chamber, leaving him addressing a largely empty hall. Only the United States, a handful of Pacific allies, and a few European partners remained seated.

The walkout capped a week in which BRICS leaders Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza in unusually strong terms. Ramaphosa praised France’s recognition of Palestine and called on other nations to follow suit, while Lula blasted the killing of civilians and pledged Brazil’s full support for South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

“South Africa has acted in the interests of saving lives by insisting that the ICJ should make a ruling that genocide is being committed in Gaza and that it should stop,” Ramaphosa told the Assembly earlier in the week. Lula meanwhile described Israel’s campaign as a “massacre of innocents,” stressing that global accountability was now unavoidable.

More than 140 countries now formally recognize Palestine, with the number rising to 159 of the UN’s 193 members after Britain, Canada, Australia, and France shifted their positions in recent days. The trend has deepened Israel’s isolation at the international level, even as its government insists it is fighting a just war against terrorism.

The UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry last week concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, a finding that further emboldened calls for sanctions and international accountability.

As Netanyahu left the UNGA chamber, his defiance contrasted with the near-empty seats before him — a stark image of just how far Israel’s global standing has fallen.