Netanyahu boycotted at UN: delegates walk out of hall

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu firmly defended his country's military operations in Iran, Gaza and the Middle East during his address to the UN General Assembly, even as dozens of diplomats walked out of the hall in protest. Stressing that the fight would continue to the end, the Israeli leader rejected genocide accusations and sharply targeted Western states critical of him, as well as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

"Postxronika.az" reports, citing the BBC, that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who addressed the assembly via video link since he lacked a visa, said Israel's illegal settlement policy in the West Bank and its attacks in Gaza threaten the very existence of the Palestinian people. Stressing that the two-state solution is at risk, the Palestinian leadership accused Israeli forces of waging a war of starvation, displacement and genocide against the civilian population.

Turkish officials and other representatives at the UN called Netanyahu's speech contrary to international law and the ideals of peace, saying the Israeli leadership was trying to justify its actions with baseless accusations. This tense gathering in New York, held against the backdrop of the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant, once again laid bare Israel's deepening diplomatic isolation on the world stage.

Rəşad Hüseynov