Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was met with a mass walkout of international delegates at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, a powerful gesture of protest against Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza. As he began his speech, dozens of diplomats from various countries filed out of the hall, leaving rows of seats empty in a stark symbol of Israel's growing diplomatic isolation. The protest inside the UN building was mirrored outside, where thousands of demonstrators gathered in Times Square and marched towards the UN headquarters, chanting pro-Palestinian slogans and cheering the news of the walkout.
In a combative address, Netanyahu slammed the recent recognition of a Palestinian state by several Western nations, including the UK and France, calling the moves "sheer madness" and a "mark of shame". He vehemently rejected the findings of a UN commission of inquiry that concluded Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, claiming the charge was "baseless". Instead, he vowed to "finish the job" of eliminating Hamas, stating that the "final remnants" of the group are holed up in Gaza City. In a controversial move, his speech was broadcast via loudspeakers along the Gaza border, an act criticized by Palestinians and Israeli opposition figures alike as a stunt that only added to the humiliation of besieged civilians.
The diplomatic rebuke at the UN coincided with other significant international actions. The night before Netanyahu's speech, Microsoft announced it had cut off the Israeli military's access to some of its cloud storage and AI tools following reports the technology was being used for mass surveillance of Palestinians. Simultaneously, the UN Human Rights Office released an updated database of 158 companies it says are involved in business activities with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, which are considered illegal under international law. The report called on firms like Airbnb and Booking.com to address the adverse human rights impacts of their operations, underscoring the deepening scrutiny of corporate complicity in the occupation.
These high-level events unfolded against a backdrop of continued violence and severe humanitarian suffering in Gaza. The civil defence agency in Gaza reported more than 20 people killed on Friday alone, as Israel pressed its offensive in Gaza City. The UN has reported that over 250,000 people have been forced to flee the city in the past month. For those trapped, the situation is dire; one displaced resident in Gaza City described hearing "nothing but bombing, gunfire, ambulance sirens, and the voices of citizens crying and shouting out of despair". The territory faces a crippling aid blockade and famine conditions, with humanitarian organizations struggling to operate under the constant threat of attack.
The walkout and protests sent a clear message of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Hamas stated that the protest at the UN showcased Israel's "isolation", while Jewish protesters in New York, including Rabbi Yitzchok Deutsch, explicitly stated that Netanyahu "doesn't speak in our name" and was using their religion to justify his crimes. The scene at the UN stood in sharp contrast to the vision of peace articulated just a day earlier by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who reiterated his rejection of a future governing role for Hamas and demanded it disarm. As Netanyahu left the stage, the empty seats served as a potent reminder of the international community's increasing unwillingness to accept the current path of conflict and occupation.