Dozens of delegates walked out of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) hall in New York on Thursday, September 24, as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his address, during which he defended Israel’s military action against Iran.
It was a repeat of a protest that took place during his speech at last year’s session.
While many diplomats walked out of the room, others stood and applauded the Israeli leader.
Some chanted ‘Am Yisrael Chai,’ which translates to ‘The people of Israel live’.
Netanyahu reacted by describing the delegates who left the hall as moral cowards.
“If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t yet left this hall, please do so now,” Netanyahu said.
The Israeli prime minister defended the Iran war, saying that if Israel had not struck, “we’d all be dead”.
“Devastating Iran’s nuclear facilities was hard. It was very hard to do. But for me, it was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make as prime minister,” he said.
He added that the fall of the Iranian government is only a matter of time,” saying the Iranian people will be free one day.
The Israeli prime minister also criticised European countries over their decision to impose sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
He also described Turkish president Recep Erdoğan as a “tyrant” who hosts Hamas leaders.
The walkout was the latest disruption at this year’s UN general assembly.
On Tuesday, the Iranian delegation left the hall during United States (US) president Donald Trump’s address after he threatened to annihilate Iran if Tehran failed to reach a deal with Washington.
The Cuban delegation also later walked out during Trump’s speech.
Netanyahu’s address came amid the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran and international criticism of Israel’s military actions.
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