Countries leave UN plenary in protest against Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to an empty plenary on Friday (26) during the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN). Before speech, he was booed and the delegations, including Brazil, left the place in protest.

Among the few delegations that remained at the scene, the American applauded the Israeli who tried to justify the indefensible genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

In the boycotted speech, Netanyahu defended the war and full occupation of Gaza.

“Delegations vary and empty UN plenary at the time when the genocide sought for war crimes and against humanity Netanyahu speaks at the UN General Assembly,” says the Palestinian Arab Federation of Brazil (FEPAL).

Read more: Israel bombardes journalists in Gaza right after dialogue with Fenaj

While speaking to an empty plenary, outside the building thousands of people protested against the genocide promoted by Israel in Gaza.

In Congress, the repercussion was immediate. “End of the massacre in Gaza! The genocide Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to himself at the UN General Assembly. Symbolizing the repudiation of his crimes against humanity, delegations from various countries abandon the plenary not to hear the carnage,” writes deputy Orlando Silva (PCdoB-SP).

For Deputy Guilherme Boulos (PSOL-SP), the departure of the delegations was a powerful gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian people. “Now, it is urgent to translate this gesture into concrete actions to stop genocide in Gaza,” he says.

“International Repudiation: Delegations abandon the UN Assembly during Netanyahu’s speech. A silent and strong protest against actions in Gaza,” says Senator Humberto Costa (PT-PE).

Speech

In the analysis of the historian and vice president of the Brazil-Palestinian Institute (Ibraspal, Sayid Tenório, Netanyahu’s emptied discourse presents two central questions.

“First, an insistence on the Israeli plan to exterminate the Palestinian people to seize their lands, with a narrative based on fake arguments that the creation of the Palestinian state would mean to reward the Hamas resistance movement. Moreover, Netanyahu continues to describe genocide in Gaza as a ‘false accusation’, despite recent discoveries of the UN commission,” he says.

In the second point, Sayid says the prime minister “counts on US support to bite the world and threaten the expansion of war to the region.”

“And he has done so, with US coverage, support and funding. Since October 2023, Israel has attacked Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran and recently Qatar. On the other hand, the reaction of most countries abandoned the General Assembly, including Brazil, demonstrates the global isolation faced by Israel,” he says.

For him, the more Netanyahu recruits genocide, denies the Palestinians Deito to his state and threatens the regional neighbors, the more he isolates himself. “More manifestations are increased against the Zionist regime and more countries love the attitude of recognizing Palestinians to their state.”