Empty Chairs Greet Netanyahu at UN as Diplomats Stage Mass Walkout During Speech

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was met with a sea of empty chairs at the UN General Assembly on Friday as diplomats from scores of nations staged a mass walkout to protest Israel’s military campaign in Gaza . The dramatic boycott, which included nearly all representatives from Arab and Muslim countries as well as several African and European states, starkly highlighted Israel’s growing isolation on the world stage .

Undeterred by the protest, Netanyahu, who faces war crimes charges from the International Criminal Court, delivered a defiant address, vowing that Israel “will finish the job” in Gaza and would do so “as quickly as possible” . In a highly unusual move, he said he had ordered Israel’s military to broadcast his speech across Gaza via loudspeakers and mobile phone live-streams, calling on Hamas leaders to surrender and release all remaining hostages .

In his speech, Netanyahu lashed out at the international community, accusing world leaders of caving to pressure from “a biased media, radical Islamist constituencies and antisemitic mobs” . He claimed that while many leaders publicly condemn Israel, they “privately thank us” for the intelligence that has prevented terror attacks in their own capitals .

The walkout reflects a significant diplomatic shift against Israel, with even traditional allies like Australia, Britain, Canada, and France recently embracing the idea of a Palestinian state to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution . The protest came just a day after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the General Assembly remotely, having been denied a visa by the Trump administration, and vowed that Palestinians would never leave Gaza