Dozens of members of the delegations participating in the UN General Assembly left the hall during Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech

Dozens of people from the delegations of states represented at the UN General Assembly left the hall on Thursday in protest as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his speech. The gesture took place during the UN meeting, amid political tensions over Israel’s position and the conflict in the Middle East.

When the Israeli prime minister’s speech began, the hall was relatively sparsely populated, but it gradually filled up before Netanyahu took the floor. Shortly after the address began, representatives of several delegations started leaving the hall.

“If there are still cowards in this hall who have not left, let them do so now,” Benjamin Netanyahu said during his speech, addressing those who had remained in the room.

The Palestinian delegation called on other diplomatic missions to join the protest in a message sent to them and seen by AFP. The departure of the delegations thus became the main public reaction to the Israeli leader’s speech during the UN General Assembly session.