‘A Spit in Israel’s Face’: Netanyahu Flees Amid UN Walkout, Protests

Delegates streamed out of the General Assembly chamber while demonstrations and arrests unfolded outside as the criminal Israel prime minister delivered a brazen litany of lies.

NEW YORK — Terrorist Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scandalous appearance at the UN General Assembly on Thursday was met with the most dramatic diplomatic rebuke in the world body's recent history, as 77 delegations walked out of the hall before and during his speech, hundreds of protesters were arrested outside, and Israeli media described the spectacle as “a spit in Israel’s face”.

The walkout, which included delegates from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, Brazil, Colombia and dozens more, left large sections of the General Assembly chamber visibly empty as Netanyahu took the podium.

Video footage showed delegates streaming out of the hall, with many chanting “Free Palestine” and jeering as the Israeli prime minister began his address. Four countries bordering Israel — Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria — did not attend at all.

Among Muslim states, the UAE and Bahrain which have forged traitorous relationship with the Zionist regime chose to listen to Netanyahu’s lies and fabrications.    

Outside the UN headquarters, hundreds of protesters organized by Jewish Voice for Peace staged a sit-in on First Avenue, blocking traffic and chanting “Stop arming Israel, let Gaza live” and “Netanyahu, you can’t hide”.

The New York Police Department detained at least 103 people, according to CNN, as it broke up the demonstration.

Among those arrested were Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon, Emmy-nominated actress Hannah Einbinder, comedian Caleb Hearon, author Glennon Doyle, former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, New York congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, and New York City Council member Chi Ossé.

Photos showed Sarandon, wearing a shirt reading “Fund People Not Bombs,” in handcuffs with plastic zip ties.

“If the pictures of my friends and me getting arrested in protest of Netanyahu’s shameful visit to New York draw attention to anything, let it be to the devastating genocidal war is waging against the people of Palestine and Southern Lebanon,” Einbinder wrote on Instagram.

Netanyahu's visit was so brief and secretive that it drew widespread mockery and scandal. Israeli security officials advised him to shorten his trip, and he did not spend a single night in New York, arriving the morning of his speech and departing hours later.

His plane did not land at JFK Airport “to avoid security nightmares and massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations,” according to Israeli analyst Shalom Yerushalmi.

“Netanyahu does not dare spend a single night in New York for fear … that he will be arrested,” Yerushalmi wrote in The Times of Israel, noting that the situation “broadcasts something about Israel’s international standing, which has genuinely never been worse”.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024 for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, and the court has refused to withdraw it despite U.S. pressure.

Amnesty International condemned the U.S. for ignoring the ICC warrant while denying Palestinian representatives visas to attend the UN General Assembly.

“Almost two years after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, impunity continues to reign, and Palestinians are paying the price,” the organization said on X.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom Netanyahu attacked in his speech as “the antisemitic mayor of New York,” responded by pointing to the ICC warrant.

“No lie can change the fact that he remains the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Mamdani said.

Qatar “categorically rejected” Netanyahu’s accusations that it was conducting an influence campaign against Israel, calling them “an attempt to divert attention from the atrocities committed by his government”.

Turkey’s communications director dismissed Netanyahu’s remarks as “insolent and despicable,” saying they “cannot obscure his massacres”.

Hamas said Netanyahu’s place “should be in prison to face justice for his crimes,” noting that the mass walkout reflected Israel’s growing international isolation.

Israeli media reacted with alarm. Channel 14 described the walkout as “a spit in Israel’s face,” while Yedioth Ahronoth called it “the dramatic protest”.

Haaretz slammed Netanyahu’s speech as repetitive and dull, saying it was aimed mainly at his right-wing base and Donald Trump amid growing international isolation.

The Washington Post described the departures as part of a “fierce global backlash” against Israeli crimes, while The Guardian noted that Netanyahu vowed to “finish the job” in Gaza while delegations left the hall in protest.

With Israel’s scandalous elections set for October 27, Netanyahu is locked in a tight race and used the UN platform to attack Iran, Western European leaders, Qatar, Turkey, and Mamdani — a strategy analysts said was aimed at his domestic criminal right-wing base rather than the international audience.