Dozens of delegates walk out as Netanyahu addresses UN

Dozens of delegates walked out as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the podium at the UN General Assembly in New York on 24 September 2026, according to separate reports from Reuters and AFP. The departures followed an appeal by the Palestinian mission for a collective protest against the Israeli leader. [6] [8]

Netanyahu called those leaving “moral cowards” and invited anyone else he described that way to leave, according to Reuters and The Irish Times. [5] [8]

The Palestinian mission had urged other missions to bring staff to the assembly hall and walk out together when Netanyahu was announced, The Irish Times reported. Its message framed the action as rejecting complicity in what it called genocide, war crimes and illegal occupation. AFP separately reported the invitation, but the original memo was not available for review. [5] [6]

The response in the hall was mixed. Supporters in the gallery gave Netanyahu a standing ovation and chanted while delegations on the floor below walked out, according to The Times of Israel. [7]

The Irish Times reported that most seats were empty afterwards. However, AFP said the hall had been sparsely occupied earlier in the session and had gradually filled before the speech. The available reporting provides neither an exact headcount nor a verified list of participating countries: dozens of people leaving does not establish how many states joined the protest. [5] [6]

The Palestinian mission’s allegations come against the background of a September 2025 finding by an independent UN commission of inquiry that Israel was responsible for genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The investigation covered 7 October 2023 to 31 July 2025 and applied a “reasonable grounds to conclude” standard. It was an investigative finding, not a court judgement.