On September 26, 2025, the grand chamber of the United Nations General Assembly in New York was rocked by a rare and dramatic display of diplomatic dissent. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stepped up to deliver his highly anticipated address, more than 100 diplomats from over 50 countries—spanning Arab, African, Asian, European, and Latin American blocs—rose in unison and walked out. According to The Washington Post, the walkout was one of the largest and most coordinated protests seen at the UN in years, leaving rows of empty seats that underscored the moment’s significance.
The cause of this exodus? Netanyahu’s hardline stance on the Gaza war and his unequivocal rejection of Palestinian statehood. As reported by Reuters, the walkout was a direct response to Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Hamas and Netanyahu’s fiery rhetoric dismissing recent recognitions of Palestine by major Western nations. Spain, for its part, refused to attend the speech altogether, while Iran boycotted the address entirely, the Associated Press noted.
Inside the chamber, the atmosphere was tense. While some attendees in the balcony offered applause and even a standing ovation, the absence of top-level allies was palpable. The United States and United Kingdom remained present, but only with junior-level diplomats, according to BBC and Reuters. Canada also kept its seat, but the conspicuous emptiness of the room sent a message: Israel’s diplomatic isolation was on full display.
From the podium, Netanyahu did not hold back. He lashed out at Western nations for supporting Palestinian statehood, calling their decisions “a mark of shame” and “disgraceful.” He accused key U.S. allies of yielding to activist pressure and isolating Israel over its war in Gaza. “Israel will not allow you to shove a terrorist state down our throats,” he declared, as quoted by Reuters. He went further, charging European leaders with pushing Israel toward “national suicide” and rewarding Hamas. “We will not commit national suicide because you don’t have the guts to face down the hostile media and antisemitic mobs demanding Israel’s blood.”
Netanyahu’s address was not just about condemnation; it was a defense of Israel’s actions and a justification for continued military operations. He vowed to “finish the job” against Hamas, describing the group’s remnants as “holed up in Gaza City” and warning that they would “repeat the atrocities of 7 October again and again.” According to Middle East Monitor, Netanyahu painted Israel as a lone guardian of law and civilization, standing against what he called “the curse of Iran’s terror axis”—a network he claimed threatened not just Israel, but regional and global peace.
He boasted of military successes over the past year and decade: Hezbollah “cowed,” the Houthis “hammered,” and the “bulk of Hamas’s terror machine” allegedly “crushed.” Netanyahu even celebrated the devastation of Iran’s atomic weapons and ballistic missile programs, crediting Israeli intelligence and covert operations. “And most importantly, and above everything else that I could say to you or that we did in this past year, in this past decade, we devastated Iran’s atomic weapons and ballistic missile programs,” he stated.
Netanyahu’s speech was also marked by a staunch rejection of recent recognitions of Palestinian statehood by countries such as the UK, France, Canada, and Australia. He argued that such moves only emboldened terrorism and antisemitism. “Murdering Jews pays off,” he said, accusing these nations of encouraging attacks “against Jews and against innocent people everywhere.” He further claimed that the recognition of Palestine was “rewarding Hamas” and would only lead to more violence.
In a twist, Netanyahu attempted to invert the debate over the two-state solution. He argued that Israel had always supported the formula, but that the Palestinians had rejected it, turning down territory and instead launching “totally unprovoked” attacks. He even described Gaza as a “proto-Palestinian state” gifted by Israel—a claim that many international observers and Palestinian officials rejected outright.
Allegations of war crimes and genocide, which have intensified as Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has continued, were dismissed by Netanyahu as “blood libels.” He compared the ratio of non-combatant to combatant casualties in Gaza favorably to NATO’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, insisting that Israel had done more to minimize civilian harm. He denied any starvation policy in Gaza, stating, “There’s one ton of aid for every man, woman and child in Gaza” and claiming that each person was receiving 3,000 calories per day. “Some starvation policy!” he scoffed, despite mounting evidence and reports from humanitarian organizations suggesting otherwise.
Outside the UN headquarters, the scene was equally charged. Protesters gathered, demanding Netanyahu’s arrest. “War criminals don’t deserve any peace of mind. They don’t deserve any sleep,” one activist told the Associated Press. Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, told Common Dreams, “Those who walked out when Netanyahu was speaking at the UN are the fortunate ones. Those of us who listened to his speech online are feeling sick. He is such a bold-faced liar and a mass murderer.” Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute added, “I don’t recall seeing such a large walkout for quite some time at UNGA. Israel has chosen to be a pariah and is increasingly treated as such by the international community.”
Palestinian officials were equally dismissive. Adel Atieh, a foreign ministry official, called Netanyahu’s address “the speech of a defeated man.” Meanwhile, New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wrote on social media, “During the course of his speech, another Palestinian child will undoubtedly be killed ... as they have been every single hour for nearly two years.”
Despite the diplomatic storm, Netanyahu found at least one prominent supporter. Former US President Donald Trump praised the speech, hinting at a proposed Gaza peace framework that would involve the disarmament of Hamas. “I think we have a deal,” Trump said shortly after Netanyahu left the podium, though details of any such agreement remained unclear.
The walkout, combined with protests both inside and outside the UN, reflected a broader shift in international attitudes toward Israel’s policies and the Gaza conflict. As Reuters observed, the scale of the protest was rare in the history of the General Debate. It signaled not just frustration with the ongoing war, but coordinated international pressure for renewed political negotiations and a possible end to the violence.
For Netanyahu and Israel, the events at the UN were a stark reminder that military victories on the battlefield do not necessarily translate to diplomatic triumphs. As the empty chairs and harsh words from world leaders made clear, Israel is now fighting a battle for legitimacy and support on the global stage—one that may prove just as challenging as the conflict in Gaza itself.
