A dramatic mass diplomatic walkout marked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's appearance at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday. Dozens of delegates left the chamber as he took the podium to deliver his address, leaving large sections of the General Assembly hall empty. This triggered renewed reactions over Netanyahu's handling of Israel's war in Gaza and its wider military operations and illegal settlement activities across the region.
According to Israeli media outlet Ynet, Israeli officials counted 77 delegations that were either absent from the hall or left at the beginning of Netanyahu's remarks. However, Anadolu Agency reported that nearly 70 countries either walked out or had their seats left vacant after reviewing footage from the 81st UN General Assembly. Reuters independently confirmed that dozens of delegates streamed out as Netanyahu began speaking.
The walkout became one of the defining moments of Netanyahu's opening minutes at the UN. As delegates left the chamber, Netanyahu addressed those who remained, saying: “If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t yet left this hall, please do so now.” His supporters in the gallery responded by chanting in Hebrew, “The people of Israel live.”
Türkiye, Palestine, Pakistan, Tunisia, Syria, Algeria, Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iran, Qatar, Lebanon, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Kuwait were among the countries whose representatives joined the protest. Delegations from Spain, Brazil, Peru, Cuba, Nigeria, Ghana, Libya, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Oman, Niger, Madagascar, Botswana, the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, and Cabo Verde were also reported to have walked out or remained absent.
There were conflicting reports over whether Nigeria joined the mass diplomatic walkout during Netanyahu's address. Anadolu included Nigeria among countries whose delegations “also walked out or remained absent” as Netanyahu approached the podium. However, other reports and available footage did not clearly establish whether Nigeria's delegation physically left the chamber, making it difficult to conclusively determine its position during the walkout.
The uncertainty comes against the backdrop of Vice President Kashim Shettima's national address at the 81st UNGA, delivered earlier on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in which Palestine and Gaza were not mentioned. The omission was notable because Nigeria's UNGA addresses in 2024 and 2025 had referenced the Palestinian issue. All efforts to obtain clarification from the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs on whether Nigeria participated in the walkout proved abortive.
While many delegations walked out, some western delegations remained. Representatives of the United States, Germany, Argentina, Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine, Czechia, and Greece remained during Netanyahu's address. The protest came amid continued international criticism of Israel's genocide in Gaza, its policies in the occupied West Bank, and its attacks in Lebanon and Syria.
Key points
- 77 delegations walked out during Netanyahu's address
- Nigeria's position in the walkout remains unclear
- The walkout was in protest of Israel's war crimes and Gaza genocide
