Dozens of delegates walked out of the United Nations General Assembly hall in New York on Thursday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his address, during which he defended Israel’s military action against Iran.

Netanyahu was seen approaching the podium as several delegations left the hall. The walkout came after the Palestinian Mission to the UN urged representatives to leave during Netanyahu’s address.

Reacting to the departure, Netanyahu said, “If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t left the hall, please do so now.”

Defending Israel’s military action against Iran, he said targeting the country’s nuclear facilities was difficult but described the decision as one of the easiest he had made as Prime Minister.

“Devastating Iran’s nuclear facilities was hard. It was very hard to do,” Netanyahu said.

“But for me, it was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make as Prime Minister,” he added.

Netanyahu said Israel’s action was necessary because, in his view, failing to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities would have threatened Israel and other countries.

“Because if we hadn’t done it, we’d all be dead,” he said.

He also claimed that Israel’s military action was benefiting countries whose representatives had walked out of the General Assembly.

“In defending itself, Israel is also defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall,” Netanyahu said.

He added that some foreign leaders had privately thanked Israel for attacking Iran’s nuclear programme.

“In fact, I want you to know that many of their leaders even thank us privately for taking out Iran’s nukes,” he said.

Netanyahu described the reaction as “mind-blowing hypocrisy”, saying, “It’s hard to imagine more mind-blowing hypocrisy, but that’s exactly what it is.”

The Israeli Prime Minister also used his address to recount Israel’s experience during the 1967 Six-Day War and what he described as the country’s longstanding struggle for survival.

He recalled his brother, Yoni Netanyahu, an Israeli paratroop officer who later led the 1976 Entebbe hostage rescue operation in Uganda.

Recalling a conversation with his brother before the Six-Day War, Netanyahu said he had asked him what he thought would happen.

“He paused, and then he said something I’ll never forget. We’re going to win,” Netanyahu said.

He added that his brother told him, “We have no other choice.”

Netanyahu also recalled the 1976 hijacking of an Air France passenger plane to Entebbe, saying Israeli forces later rescued 103 hostages.

“And then, on July 4th, 1976, the Bicentennial of the United States, in one of the most dramatic rescue missions in modern times, Yoni led his brave soldiers to the heart of Africa,” he said.

He added, “Miraculously, they rescued 103 Jewish hostages and brought them all home, every single one of them.”

The walkout was the latest disruption at this year’s UN General Assembly. On Tuesday, the Iranian delegation left the hall during US President Donald Trump’s address after he threatened to “annihilate” Iran if Tehran failed to reach a deal with Washington. The Cuban delegation also later walked out during Trump’s speech.

Netanyahu’s address came amid the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran and international criticism of Israel’s military actions.

Watch video here:

𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐔𝐍 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐀𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐡𝐮 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐈𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤

Credit: X | Sky News
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