Overview
- A coordinated walkout led by the Palestinian Mission cleared large sections of the UN General Assembly chamber when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began speaking, a protest meant to reject Israel’s military conduct in Gaza and the occupied territories.
- From the podium Netanyahu challenged the leavers, calling them “moral cowards,” defended Israel’s strikes including recent attacks on Iran, and singled out New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for criticism as part of a broader campaign message.
- Street protests outside the UN coincided with the walkout and produced mass police action in New York; multiple demonstrators were taken into custody and public figures including Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder were detained during the demonstrations.
- After Netanyahu’s address Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon attempted to hand a Starlink device to the Iranian delegation as a symbolic gesture, but the Iranian representative refused to accept it, producing a widely shared image of the standoff.
- The episode, which played out on Thursday, September 24, 2026, reinforced diplomatic polarization, fed Netanyahu’s campaign narrative ahead of Israeli elections, and left unresolved questions about enforcing international legal orders such as the ICC arrest warrant and how U.S. federal and local authorities will respond.