Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the UN General Assembly made waves less for what he said than for who wasn’t listening.
According to figures released by Israel on Saturday, 77 national delegations either skipped the session or staged a walkout as he began speaking, YNET reports.
The 41-minute speech was delivered to a visibly thinned audience, with all of Israel’s immediate neighbours: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, among those absent. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iran also declined to attend, underscoring the diplomatic rifts surrounding Israel’s government on the world stage.
The mass protest underscored the international community’s growing frustration with Israel’s actions in Gaza, a Palestinian enclave that has witnessed the worst, most horrific, and bloodiest conflict in modern history, with over 65,000 Palestinians killed in over two years of war.
The enclave has been reduced to rubble, with the entire population of over two million people facing a humanitarian catastrophe.
Officials noted that not all absences were boycotts, as some representatives did not attend the morning session in New York.
Jordan and Egypt chose not to take their seats but did not participate in the coordinated walkout. Pakistan’s delegation left the hall in protest but then positioned themselves at the sidelines to listen, according to Israeli officials.
By contrast, envoys from Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, signatories to the 2020 Abraham Accords, remained seated throughout Netanyahu’s remarks, despite frictions over the Gaza war and pressure from some members of his coalition to annex parts of the West Bank.
International and Arab media focused heavily on the dramatic walkout, with many outlets highlighting the empty chamber rather than Netanyahu’s vow to “finish the job” against Hamas.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, amplified the protest online, describing Israel as “the most despised and isolated regime.”
In total, 77 countries either stayed away from the address or left as it began, including Spain, Brazil, South Africa, Ireland, Malaysia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and several nations across Latin America, Africa, and the Pacific.
Israel’s assessment stressed that the protest underscored its growing diplomatic isolation, as the war in Gaza continues to fuel international backlash.
The countries that walked out or were absent included Egypt, Suriname, Tuvalu, Turkmenistan, Yemen, Egypt, Panama, Senegal, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey, Venezuela, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Congo, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tonga, Uzbekistan, Angola, Barbados, Colombia, Comoros, Dominica, Djibouti, North Macedonia, San Marino, South Africa, Somalia, and Algeria.
Others are Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Brazil, Chile, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lebanon, Liberia, Eritrea, Chad, Central African, Republic, Libya, Mauritania, Jordan, Nicaragua, Madagascar, Niger, Peru, Saint Lucia, Slovenia, Afghanistan, Bahamas, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana.
North Korea, Eswatini, Syria, Uganda, Pakistan, Lesotho, Bolivia, Spain, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Iraq, Mozambique, Myanmar, Ireland, Maldives, Indonesia, Kuwait, Namibia, Malaysia, Guyana and Kenya.
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