77 countries either absent or walkout as Netanyahu addresses UNGA
*Israeli PM speaks to largely empty chamber — Nigeria among countries reportedly absent
By KEMI KASUMU
The extraordinary scene at the General Assembly has since generated widespread international attention, with the empty seats becoming a defining image of Netanyahu’s 2026 UN appearance.
NEW YORK — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced a mass diplomatic walkout, rather described as international embarrassment, at the United Nations on Thursday September 24, 2026, with delegations from 77 countries either leaving the General Assembly hall as he began his address or not being present in the chamber during the speech.
The mass departure and absence left large sections of the 81st United Nations General Assembly hall empty as Netanyahu mounted the podium to defend Israel’s military operations and confront growing international criticism over the Gaza war and its wider regional actions.
The episode immediately became one of the most striking moments of this year’s General Assembly, with images showing rows of vacant seats as the Israeli leader spoke.
Reports said delegations from countries including Türkiye, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Senegal, Pakistan, Sudan, Iran and Indonesia walked out as Netanyahu began speaking.
Other countries, including Spain, South Africa, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria and Brazil, were reported to have been absent from the session.
The distinction is significant: the reported figure of 77 combines delegations that left the hall with countries whose seats were empty because their representatives did not attend the address. Israeli officials subsequently published a list of the 77 countries whose delegations were absent or left at the beginning of Netanyahu’s remarks.
Netanyahu, however, proceeded with his address and directly addressed those who had departed.
“If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t yet left this hall, please do so now,” he said at the beginning of his speech, according to reports.
He used the address to defend Israel’s conduct in Gaza, reject accusations of genocide and attack critics of his government, while also focusing extensively on Iran and Israel’s wider regional military operations.
The walkout came amid continuing international disagreement over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, its policies in the occupied West Bank and its military actions involving Iran and other countries in the region.
Outside the UN headquarters, hundreds of demonstrators also protested Netanyahu’s visit, with authorities making more than 100 arrests during demonstrations in New York.
The extraordinary scene at the General Assembly has since generated widespread international attention, with the empty seats becoming a defining image of Netanyahu’s 2026 UN appearance.
BOXED SIDEBAR
THE 77 COUNTRIES REPORTED ABSENT OR WALKING OUT
According to the list published by Israeli officials, the following 77 countries were either absent from the hall or left at the start of Netanyahu’s address:
🔴 AFRICA
- Angola
- Botswana
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Madagascar
- Mauritania
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- South Africa
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Uganda
🔴 ARAB WORLD & MIDDLE EAST
- Algeria
- Comoros
- Egypt
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Mauritania
- Oman
- Palestine
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Syria
- Tunisia
- Yemen
🔴 ASIA
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Brunei Darussalam
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Kyrgyzstan
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Myanmar
- North Korea
- Pakistan
- Turkmenistan
- Türkiye
- Uzbekistan
🔴 LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Guyana
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Peru
- Saint Lucia
- Suriname
- Venezuela
🔴 EUROPE
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Ireland
- North Macedonia
- San Marino
- Slovenia
- Spain
🔴 OCEANIA
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
