UN delegates walk out, Netanyahu calls them moral cowards

Delegates at the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday walked out as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived to deliver his speech, leaving rows of seats empty in the chamber. Netanyahu responded to the protest by condemning those who left and calling them “moral cowards.”  In response to the walkout, he said: "If there are any other moral cowards who haven't left the hall, please do so now." In his fiery UN speech, Netanyahu blasts Iran, Qatar, Turkey and slammed Gaza genocide accusation.

"If there are any other moral cowards who have not yet left the hall, please do so now."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was met with a mix of cheers, boos and walkouts as he walked up to address the U.N. General Assembly. pic.twitter.com/8p7J5CJjSj

— KOLO8 (@KOLO8) September 25, 2026

Turning to Iran, Netanyahu claimed that some of the countries whose representatives walked out had privately thanked Israel for its military action against Tehran. "Israel is also defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall," Netanyahu continued. Defending Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, Netanyahu said the decision was difficult but necessary, arguing that failing to act would have led to a much worse outcome. "In fact, I want you to know that many of their leaders even thanked us privately for taking out Iran's nukes. It's hard to imagine more mind blowing hypocrisy, but that's exactly what it is," he said.

המסר שלי לאיראן pic.twitter.com/NfpKFXyKx2

— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) September 24, 2026

Netanyahu, who is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes, launched scathing attacks on nations and leaders who have criticised him. "They accuse Israel, tiny Israel, of colonialism - some colonialism. And who's accusing us? Among them are people in Britain and in France. For God's sake, they invented the term," he said. He went on to label Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a "tyrant", accusing him of supporting the Palestinian armed group Hamas.