Israeli Diplomat Conducts Roll Call During UN Walkout on Netanyahu
An Israeli diplomat was caught on camera conducting a roll call of empty seats during a coordinated mass walkout ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's UN General Assembly speech.
The mass walkout at the UN General Assembly was far from spontaneous, and the Israeli response caught international observers off guard. A viral video circulating globally showed an Israeli diplomat walking down the rows of the General Assembly hall, conducting a roll call and meticulously noting down the names of countries whose representatives walked out or were absent during the speech of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Orchestrated Walkout
The Israeli measure came moments after the hall, which had been sparsely populated, filled up rapidly following instructions from the Palestinian delegation. According to a report by AFP, the Palestinian mission distributed a memo ahead of time to foreign delegations in New York, urging them to join an organized protest against Israeli policies and the war in Gaza. Dozens of diplomats entered the hall just as Netanyahu was announced, only to stand up and leave in a synchronized demonstration.
Netanyahu's Response and the Roll Call
Netanyahu did not hesitate to address the emptying rows from the podium, stating, "If there are any more moral cowards who have not yet left this hall, please do so now." Meanwhile, global media attention focused heavily on the Israeli diplomat cataloging the empty seats. Reports indicated that approximately 77 delegations were absent or left during the speech, including representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, and Iran. Independent checks noted that some of these delegations were not even present initially, and Israel has not yet issued an official statement regarding the purpose of the documented list.
"If there are any more moral cowards who have not yet left this hall, please do so now," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared from the UN podium.
