At the 81st United Nations General Assembly, two leaders addressed the same fractured world from irreconcilable positions — one at the podium, one by video link, each carrying the weight of a conflict that has tested the limits of international law, moral language, and diplomatic solidarity. Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel's conduct in Gaza against genocide accusations while delegates walked out in silent condemnation; Mahmoud Abbas, denied entry to the country hosting the assembly, spoke from a distance about self-determination and survival. The scene itself — the empty chairs, the absent
Netanyahu Denies Gaza Genocide as Delegates Walk Out at UNGA
Ongoing conflict in Gaza has resulted in casualties and displacement; Abbas referenced ethnic cleansing in West Bank and potential for wider religiously-fueled conflict.
What genocidal regime gives a million polio vaccinations to the enemy's population?
Mark
So Netanyahu came to the General Assembly and immediately faced a walkout. What was that about?
Mimi
Delegates from multiple countries stood up and left as he began speaking. It was a coordinated rejection—a visible statement that they wouldn't sit and listen to him defend Israel's actions in Gaza.
Luke
But we should be clear: the source doesn't tell us which countries walked out or how many delegates total. It says "many" and "a large number," but those are estimates. We know it happened; we don't know the exact scope.
Mark
And Netanyahu's response was to invite more people to leave?
Mimi
Yes. He said if there were any other "moral cowards" who hadn't left, they should do so now. Then later he claimed that many of the countries whose delegates walked out were actually privately thanking Israel for striking Iran's nuclear program.
Luke
That's his claim, but it's unverified. He says "many of their leaders even thank us privately." We have no independent confirmation of that.
Mark
What about Abbas? He wasn't there in person.
Mimi
The US State Department refused to issue him a visa. So he spoke via video instead. He called for a two-state solution and described what's happening in Gaza as a "genocidal war" and what's happening in the West Bank as ethnic cleansing.
Luke
And that's the core tension, right? Netanyahu says genocide accusations are lies. Abbas says genocide is happening. Both are speaking at the same assembly, but from completely different realities.
Mark
Did anyone else address the conflict that day?
Mimi
Yes. Syria's leader called for Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights. Spain's prime minister called for the genocide in Gaza to stop. Yemen and Kuwait both spoke about freedom of navigation and Iran's role in blocking shipping routes.
Luke
So the conflict was the dominant theme, but it wasn't the only one. Nepal's prime minister talked about climate disasters, the Netherlands defended the ICC, Nigeria weighed in on AI. The assembly was addressing multiple crises at once.
Mark
What comes next?
Mimi
More countries are scheduled to speak on Friday. The UK is convening a meeting on Gaza's future. Saudi Arabia and Norway are hosting a ministerial meeting on implementing a two-state solution. The divisions are deep, but the conversation continues.
The Pulse
- Delegates from multiple nations rose and left the chamber as Netanyahu began speaking, turning their backs in a coordinated act of political rejection that forced him to pause before he could continue.
- Netanyahu struck back at his critics, calling genocide accusations 'the greatest lie of the century' and daring any remaining 'moral cowards' to follow those who had already walked out.
- Abbas, barred from entering the United States by the State Department, delivered his remarks by video — a logistical exclusion that became its own indictment of Washington's role as the assembly's host nation.
- Abbas warned of a 'new Nakba,' described ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, and called on the 160 nations that recognize Palestinian statehood to push for its formal inclusion in the United Nations.
- Beyond the central confrontation, the session revealed widening fractures: the Netherlands defended the International Criminal Court without naming the US, Nepal pleaded for climate grants over debt, and protests outside led to arrests.
At the 81st United Nations General Assembly, two leaders addressed the same fractured world from irreconcilable positions — one at the podium, one by video link, each carrying the weight of a conflict that has tested the limits of international law, moral language, and diplomatic solidarity. Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel's conduct in Gaza against genocide accusations while delegates walked out in silent condemnation; Mahmoud Abbas, denied entry to the country hosting the assembly, spoke from a distance about self-determination and survival. The scene itself — the empty chairs, the absent president, the protesters outside — said as much as any speech delivered within.
The third day of the 81st UN General Assembly ended with two speeches that could not have been more different in setting or in spirit. Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a hall that was already emptying as he rose to speak — delegates from numerous nations walking out in a coordinated act of protest. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, denied an entry visa by the US State Department, delivered his remarks by video from abroad, his physical absence a quiet indictment of the host nation's conduct.
Netanyahu opened by invoking his 2012 warning about Iran's nuclear program, presenting Israel's recent strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities as the fulfillment of a long-held promise. He then turned to Gaza and the accusation that has followed his government across international forums: genocide. He rejected it absolutely, calling it the greatest lie of the century. His defense cited Hamas's use of civilian infrastructure, Israel's distribution of polio vaccines to Gaza's population, and the delivery of millions of tons of food. He challenged the assembly to explain how a genocidal regime vaccinates its enemy's children. When delegates had already left, he addressed their departure directly, inviting any remaining 'moral cowards' to join them — and later suggested that many of those same countries were privately grateful for Israel's removal of Iran's nuclear capability.
Abbas offered a different account entirely. He described a genocidal war in Gaza, settler violence amounting to ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, and a colonial project threatening to extinguish the possibility of Palestinian statehood. He called for a democratic, non-militarized Palestinian state alongside Israel, noted that 160 nations have already recognized it, and urged the UN to formalize that recognition. His denial of entry by the United States, he said, was unlawful — a dereliction of Washington's obligations as the assembly's host.
The day's other voices added texture to the fractures on display. The Netherlands' prime minister defended the International Criminal Court against unnamed political pressure. Nepal's young prime minister called for climate reparations in the form of grants rather than loans, arguing that vulnerable nations should not go into debt to survive disasters they did not cause. Yemen and Kuwait raised concerns about freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Outside the UN building, protesters gathered, and some were arrested — among them a Democratic congressional nominee who stood in a suit and tie, marking the moment where the conflict has begun to reshape political coalitions far from the region itself.
The third day of the 81st United Nations General Assembly closed with two leaders addressing the body from opposite sides of a deepening divide. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the podium to a hall that emptied as he began speaking—delegates from multiple nations stood and walked out in a coordinated show of rejection. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, barred from entering the United States by the State Department, delivered his remarks by video link instead, his absence itself a statement.
Netanyahu opened by invoking his 2012 appearance at the same podium, when he warned of Iran's nuclear ambitions. He said that fourteen years later, he had made good on that warning. Striking Iran's nuclear facilities was "one of the easiest decisions" he had made as prime minister, he told the assembly, because the alternative was unthinkable. He did not dwell on the complexity or the regional consequences. He moved instead to Gaza, where the central accusation against his government has been genocide.
The prime minister rejected the charge categorically. He called it "the greatest lie of the century." His defense rested on a series of claims about Israeli conduct: that Hamas had used civilians as human shields, that it had operated from hospitals and schools, that Israel had distributed a million polio vaccinations to Gaza's population and enabled the delivery of two million tons of food. "What genocidal regime gives a million polio vaccinations to the enemy's population?" he asked. He also singled out New York's mayor, Zohran Mamdani, for spreading what he called antisemitic messaging, saying that since Mamdani's election, many Jews no longer felt safe in the city.
But the walkout had already made its own argument. As Netanyahu began his address, a large group of delegates rose from their seats and left the chamber. The disruption was significant enough that he had to wait for quiet before proceeding. When he did, he addressed the exodus directly, inviting any remaining "moral cowards" to leave as well. Later, he returned to the moment, claiming that many of the countries whose delegates had walked out were privately grateful to Israel for removing Iran's nuclear capability, and that their public rejection of him amounted to hypocrisy.
Outside the building, protesters had gathered. Some were arrested. Brad Lander, a Democratic nominee for Congress in New York's 10th district, joined the demonstrations in a suit and tie, marking a visible political stance at a moment when the conflict has fractured traditional coalitions.
Abbas, speaking from elsewhere, painted a starkly different picture. He called for the world to support a two-state solution and Palestinian self-determination. His government, he said, sought a non-militarized, democratic Palestinian state existing alongside Israel in peace. But he also described what he saw happening on the ground: a "genocidal war" in Gaza, ethnic cleansing by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and what he termed a "malicious colonial scheme." He warned of a "new Nakba"—a reference to the displacement of Palestinians in 1948—and said that Israeli violations of international law were putting the two-state solution at grave risk. He noted that 160 nations have recognized Palestinian statehood and called for its inclusion in the United Nations.
The denial of Abbas's entry visa by the US State Department, which hosts the General Assembly, became part of the story itself. Abbas characterized the refusal as unlawful and punitive, a failure of Washington's responsibility as the body's host nation. His remarks, delivered remotely, carried the weight of that exclusion.
The day also saw other nations weigh in on the conflict and its ripple effects. Yemen and Kuwait both stressed the importance of freedom of navigation, with Kuwait's crown prince accusing Iran of obstructing maritime passage through the Strait of Hormuz in violation of international law. Nepal's prime minister, Balendra Shah, the youngest head of government at the assembly, spoke of his country's devastation from recent floods and called for grant-based climate support rather than loans, arguing that vulnerable nations should not be forced into debt to recover from climate catastrophes. The Netherlands' prime minister defended the International Criminal Court against what he called an attack, without naming the United States or President Trump, who has pressured countries to withdraw from the court.
Notable Quotes
Accusing Israel of genocide is the greatest lie of the century— Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister
No lasting security can be built upon the occupation of another people and the denial of its legitimate rights— Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President
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