New York, United States – Scores of delegates walked out of the United Nations General Assembly hall as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the podium to deliver his address during the general debate of the 81st session.
Netanyahu used his speech to defend Israel’s military actions in Gaza and elsewhere in the region amid growing international criticism.
Rejecting allegations of genocide in Gaza, Netanyahu said Israel “didn’t commit genocide” and instead “prevented genocide.”
He also accused countries, including several in Western Europe, of “succumbing to the antisemitic mobs” and refusing to support Israel.
As he began speaking, dozens of delegates left the hall, leaving numerous empty seats. Netanyahu later called those who walked out “moral cowards.”
Abbas warns of threat to Palestinian people
Earlier, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the General Assembly that the existence of the Palestinian people was under threat and that the two-state solution had been severely undermined.
Speaking through a pre-recorded video, Abbas accused Israel of subjecting Palestinians in Gaza to killing, destruction, starvation and attempted forced displacement, describing the situation as “a war of genocide.”
He also said settlement expansion was accelerating in the West Bank.
Abbas warned that the situation now threatens not only the establishment of a Palestinian state but “the very existence of the Palestinian people.”
He accused what he called Israeli extremism of expanding a colonial project toward a “Greater Israel.”
Abbas called for stronger international efforts to preserve the two-state solution, saying military occupation and settler violence would not lead to a political settlement.
Abbas criticizes U.S. visa decision
Abbas also criticized the U.S. decision to deny visas to the Palestinian delegation for a second consecutive year.
He called on Washington to lift what he described as sanctions and restrictions against Palestine and urged the United States to honor its commitment to prevent the annexation of Palestinian territory.
Abbas also thanked countries that had banned products from Israeli settlements.
Outside the UN headquarters, hundreds of demonstrators gathered to protest Netanyahu’s appearance and express support for Palestinians.
With reports from Xinhua News Agency
