The question of whether most country delegates would remain in their seats during Benjamin Netanyahu‘s address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly was answered very quickly. It was a scene that looked like it had been copied straight from the playbook of 2025, as the majority of country representatives walked out of the hall while the Israeli Prime Minister was speaking. Netanyahu had repeatedly hyped up his speech, presumably hoping he wouldn’t once again become the “black sheep” of the United Nations as he had the previous year. He had declared he would tell the truth, exposing all the lies that had been told about Israel, and had promised to launch an attack on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Yet very few were there to hear any of it in person.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is booed as he begins his UNGA address, while multiple delegations are seen leaving the General Assembly hall.
Netanyahu proceeded with his speech as the walkouts continued.#Netanyahu #Israel #UNGA #UnitedNations… pic.twitter.com/PJhB9yKCb6— News Forge (@NewsXForge) September 24, 2026
Netanyahu: “Cowards” and a chorus of disapproval
Undeterred, Netanyahu addressed the few remaining delegates, declaring: “If there are any other cowards, let them leave now.” The root of the backlash remains the war in Gaza, and the mass walkout was a coordinated move that had been announced in advance by Palestinian representatives, who had called on diplomatic missions to leave the hall during the Israeli Prime Minister’s speech.
On the diplomatic front, the humiliation fell primarily on the United States, which watched its ally continue to be the undisputed persona non grata of the United Nations — especially striking given that during Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s address, only the American representative walked out.
