Nations Walk Out on Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu at UNGA

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a defiant address at the 80th United Nations General Assembly on Friday to a nearly empty hall. He rejected the creation of a Palestinian state and vowed to continue Israel’s military campaign against Hamas.

Netanyahu said Israel would “finish the job” and told the audience that Israelis “will not commit national suicide” by endorsing the creation of a Palestinian state.

Representatives from dozens of countries walked out before he began. He criticised nations that recently recognised Palestinian statehood, saying, “It will be a mark of shame on all of you.” The hall was almost empty as he spoke.

Belize was one of the 142 votes that endorsed a declaration outlining “tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps” towards the creation of an independent State of Palestine.

Netanyahu has been accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court and now faces heavy pressure both at home and abroad. At the same time, rights groups accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, was denied a visa to enter the United States. He was forced to address the UN on Thursday by video.

Netanyahu is expected to meet with US president Donald Trump on Monday, which would make it their fourth meeting since Trump took office in January of this year.