Hundreds of diplomats at the United Nations staged a mass walkout while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was giving an address at the general assembly in New York.
The protest took place as Netanyahu was making remarks at the podium of the grand hall at the UN headquarters. The speech saw him criticise the countries which have recognised Palestine as a state, but the prime minister hadn’t even begun his address when scores of delegates began walking out of the hall.
According to the Washington Post, more than 100 diplomats from more than 50 countries were part of the walkout, in what the publication called a coordinated act of protest against Netanyahu and the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Australia’s delegates were not part of the walkout because no high-ranking Australian was present during Netanyahu’s address, according to the ABC.
In footage of the protest, throngs of people can be seen swiftly exiting the hall while Netanyahu is at the podium, with jeers, boos and applause heard as the judge repeatedly calls for “order in the hall”.
According to reports, the prime minister was left to a mostly empty room in the grand hall, which has capacity for 1,800 people.
Netanyahu began his remarks shortly after the walkout, saying he would “finish the job” of eliminating Hamas in Gaza while criticising countries like Australia, France and Canada for their efforts to recognise a Palestinian state in recent months.
He described the recognition of Palestine as “insane” and “sheer madness”.
“You know what message the leaders who recognise a Palestinian state this week sent to the Palestinians? It’s a very clear message: murdering Jews pays off,” Netanyahu said.
It came after an inquiry commissioned by the UN earlier this month concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, which Netanyahu described as a “false charge” in his address.
Elsewhere at the general assembly, which wraps up next week, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese formally recognised Palestine as a state, and was notably left off Donald Trump’s meeting schedule.
For his part, the US President gave a 58-minute address in the grand hall in which he claimed UN “countries are going to hell”.
Lead images: Getty Images
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