Why did some remain at UN General Assembly?

Why did some remain at the General Assembly of the United Nations while most of the delegations walked out as Israeli prime minister took podium?

Delegations from more than 70 countries walked out of the 81st UN General Assembly hall or left their seats vacant as Israeli Prime Minister began his address, staging a mass protest over Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its attacks across the region.

The footages from the 81st UN General Assembly show dozens of delegations leaving the chamber together after Benjamin Netanyahu approached the podium.

Some countries left a single representative or junior diplomat behind, while others did not attend the address.

Turkey, Palestine, Tunisia, Syria, Algeria, Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Lebanon, Malaysia, Indonesia and Iran were among the countries whose representatives joined the protest.

Delegations from Spain, Brazil, Peru, Cuba, Nigeria, Ghana, Libya, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Oman, Niger, Madagascar, Botswana, the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Cabo Verde and several other countries also walked out or remained absent.

The protest came amid continuing international condemnation of Israel’s assault on Gaza, its policies in the occupied West Bank and its attacks on Lebanon and Syria.

A UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded in September 2025 that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Netanyahu is also the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued on Nov. 21, 2024, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip.

The walkout left large sections of the General Assembly chamber visibly empty as Netanyahu continued his address.