Dozens of delegations leave the UN General Assembly as Netanyahu begins his speech, in which he attacks Erdogan, Mamdani, and Qatar and rejects genocide claims.Dozens of delegations walked out of the United Nations General Assembly hall as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his address on Thursday, leaving large sections of the chamber empty, Reuters reported.Representatives of countries walked out of the United Nations General Assembly hall as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his address in New York City on Thursday, in protest over "Israel's" war on #Gaza. In response, Netanyahu attempted to shrug it off, saying,… pic.twitter.com/WxkhkQpWyW— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) September 24, 2026The walkout came as Netanyahu took the podium during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York. Reuters reported that dozens of delegates left the hall at the start of his speech.The delegations that left included representatives from Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Iraq, Egypt, Panama, Senegal, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia, Türkiye, Venezuela, Mozambique, Myanmar, Ireland, the Maldives, Indonesia, Kuwait, Namibia, Malaysia, Guyana, Kenya, Syria, Tuvalu, Turkmenistan, Yemen, Antigua and Barbuda, Congo, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tonga, Uzbekistan, Angola, Barbados, Colombia, Comoros, Dominica, Djibouti, North Macedonia, San Marino, South Africa, Somalia, Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Brazil, Chile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Liberia, Eritrea, Chad, the Central African Republic, Libya, Mauritania, Jordan, Nicaragua, Madagascar, Niger, Peru, Saint Lucia, Slovenia, Afghanistan, the Bahamas, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, the DPRK, Eswatini, Uganda, Pakistan, Lesotho, Bolivia, Spain, Cuba, and Equatorial Guinea.Netanyahu responded to the departures by referring to those who remained in the chamber as “moral cowards”, saying, “If there are any other moral cowards who have not yet left the hall, please do so now.”Netanyahu attacks Mamdani, Erdogan, and QatarDuring his address, Netanyahu directly attacked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, telling him, “Mr. Mamdani, you tried to stop me from coming here. You tried to silence me. Well, you can’t silence me.”The Israeli prime minister also attacked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, referring to him as a “tyrant”.Netanyahu further targeted Qatar, accusing it of having spent decades funding US universities and television channels in what he described as an effort to “brainwash young people.”His remarks came after Erdogan had used his own UN address earlier in the week to criticize the Israeli government’s conduct in Gaza and call for greater international pressure over the situation there.Netanyahu also praised US President Donald Trump, describing him as “Israel’s greatest partner.”Addressing the war on Gaza, Netanyahu rejected accusations that his government had committed genocide, instead claiming that it had “avoided committing it.”Why Latin America Is Key to Israel’s Diplomatic ImpunityTrump weighs deal against ‘annihilating’ Islamic RepublicNetanyahu’s speech followed Trump’s Tuesday address before the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, during which the US president publicly framed his options toward Iran as a choice between reaching an agreement with Tehran and destroying the Islamic Republic.Trump asked whether a deal would be reached that would allow Iran to “rebuild” or whether he would instead “annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly.”He went on to ask whether he should “drive them into hell with no chance of survival,” while also predicting that an agreement could ultimately be reached following the US midterm elections. Reuters reported that Trump used his UN address to defend the war while threatening further escalation if no settlement is achieved. (Al Mayadeen)