Dozens of delegations walked out or left their seats vacant as Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu began addressing the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday.
An Israeli tally put the number of delegations either absent from the chamber or leaving at the beginning of Netanyahu’s address at 77, although international reports caution that the figure does not mean representatives of all 77 countries physically staged a coordinated walkout.
Reports identified countries from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean and the Pacific among those absent or whose representatives left.
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They included Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Somalia, Comoros, Türkiye, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Maldives, Myanmar, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
African countries listed included South Africa, Senegal, Djibouti, Angola, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Eritrea, Chad, Central African Republic, Madagascar, Niger, Botswana, Uganda, Lesotho, Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Namibia and Kenya.
The broader list also included countries from Latin America and the Caribbean, such as Suriname, Panama, Venezuela, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Barbados, Dominica, Nicaragua, Peru, Saint Lucia, Bahamas, Bolivia, Cuba and Guyana, alongside European and Pacific states including North Macedonia, San Marino, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Spain, Ireland, Tuvalu and Tonga.
GLOBAL TRACKER also learned that there were also discrepancies in circulated lists. Bahrain, China and Colombia, for example, were reported among delegations that remained in the chamber, while the United Arab Emirates was also present.
The walkout followed an appeal by the Palestinian Mission to the UN for delegations to leave the General Assembly when Netanyahu was announced.
As representatives departed, Netanyahu responded defiantly, telling those remaining: “If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t left this hall, please do so now.”
Netanyahu used his address to defend Israel’s military operations in Gaza and its wider regional campaigns, including actions against Iran, while rejecting accusations that Israel had committed genocide.
He also criticised countries and leaders opposed to Israel’s policies and praised US President Donald Trump for his support of Israel.
The Palestinian protest came amid continuing international criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.
The episode left large sections of the UN General Assembly chamber empty as Netanyahu continued his speech, producing one of the most visible diplomatic protests in UN history.