New York: On an eventful day at the United Nations General Assembly, scores of global diplomats and officials walked out when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered the hall to address the session on Friday.
The protest against Netanyahu comes in the backdrop of Israel facing global isolation over its unending military action in Gaza.
Netanyahu, who faces war crimes charges at the International Criminal Court, doesn’t have too many close allies left but for US President Donald Trump.
Happening now at the UN General Assembly:
Diplomats walked out during Netanyahu’s speech.
He is left speaking to an empty room.
The world is no longer listening to Israel’s propaganda. pic.twitter.com/yV704rh32t
— sarah (@sahouraxo) September 26, 2025
Earlier, Shehbaz Sharif claimed during his UNGA speech that Pakistani fighter jets “turned 7 Indian jets into scrap” during the military conflict between the two nations in May.
“Our falcons took flight and turned 7 Indian jets into scrap,” Sharif said.
Pakistan’s earlier claim of having shot down 5 Indian Air Force jets have been repeatedly dismissed by India as “baseless”, with no evidence being provided to support such talk.
The Pakistani PM, who along with his Army chief Asim Munir met Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, described the US President as a “man of peace” and lauded his “sincere efforts” to end conflicts around the globe.
“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir met with US President Donald J Trump at the Oval Office today. The Prime Minister lauded President Trump’s bold, courageous and decisive leadership for facilitating the Pakistan-India ceasefire and praised his initiative to invite key Muslim world leaders in efforts to bring an immediate end to the conflict in Gaza and restore peace in the Middle East,” a statement from Sharif’s office said.
Though Trump himself has also claimed to have ended the India-Pakistan war countless times, India has time and again denied any third-party mediation, maintaining the DGMOs of the two countries decided on the ceasefire.
‘Insane to back Palestine state’, says Israel PM
Netanyahu, notwithstanding the ‘boycott’ of his speech by representatives from Arab and Muslim countries, several African nations and some European states, slammed those countries which had recognised the Palestine state and vowed to hunt down Hamas, calling on leaders of the Palestine militant group to surrender, lay down their weapons and release Israeli hostages.
Reacting to the recent decision of countries like France, the UK, Australia and Canada to back Palestine, Netanyahu called it “national suicide” for Israel.
“It’s sheer madness, it’s insane and we won’t do it,” the Israeli PM said, explaining that Israeli intelligence had taken over phones across Gaza to live-stream his address.
Addressing the accusation that Israel is deliberately targeting civilians, Netanyahu said, “The opposite is true,” adding that Israel has dropped “millions of leaflets and sent millions of texts” to get civilians to evacuate Gaza City.
