ICELAND FIRES BACK AT NETANYAHU AT UNGA: ‘Moral Cowards’ are those who refuse to negotiate peace
Rather than directly addressing the diplomats who left Netanyahu’s speech, she used the phrase “moral cowards” to describe leaders whom she said refuse negotiations for a just and lasting peace, deny humanitarian access or repeatedly disregard international law.
Iceland has hit back at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his description of United Nations delegates who walked out of his address as “moral cowards,” with Iceland’s Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, turning the phrase back on world leaders over the war in Gaza.
Gunnarsdóttir made the remarks while addressing the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Saturday, September 26, 2026, two days after Netanyahu’s controversial appearance before the Assembly.
Her intervention came after a mass walkout during Netanyahu’s speech on Thursday, September 24, when dozens of delegations left the General Assembly chamber as the Israeli Prime Minister took the podium.
Netanyahu, reacting to the departing delegates, said: “If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t yet left this hall, please do so now.”
But addressing the same international audience a day later, the Icelandic Foreign Minister rejected Netanyahu’s characterization and offered her own definition of what she described as “moral cowardice.”
“We have heard the words ‘moral cowards’ from this podium,” Gunnarsdóttir said.
“To me, moral cowards are those leaders around the world who refuse to sit down and negotiate a just and lasting peace.”
She continued: “Those who deny access to humanitarian aid for people in desperate need. And moral cowards are those leaders of the world who repeatedly go against and disrespect international law.”
‘Justice and lasting peace’
Gunnarsdóttir’s remarks were made in the context of Iceland’s broader position on the Gaza conflict and the need for a political resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
She warned that the continuing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East should not make other international crises disappear from the world’s attention.
On Palestine, she said the suffering of Palestinian civilians must not become “background noise,” highlighting the impact of the conflict on children and families and the difficulties facing civilians in Gaza.
She also criticized what she described as repeated cycles of destruction and reconstruction in Gaza without addressing what she considers the underlying causes of the conflict.
On the occupied West Bank, she raised concerns about settlement expansion and violence against Palestinians, while calling for respect for international law.
Netanyahu’s UNGA confrontation
Netanyahu’s September 24 appearance at the General Assembly was marked by a major walkout.
According to reports, 77 delegations left the chamber as he began his address, leaving large sections of the hall empty. Some delegates had already left before he took the podium, while others walked out as his speech began.
The Israeli Prime Minister responded by attacking those who had departed, referring to them as “moral cowards” and accusing them of hypocrisy.
He also defended Israel’s military actions and rejected accusations that Israel’s conduct in Gaza amounted to genocide.
The walkout followed months of intense international debate over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Israel’s military campaign, Palestinian statehood, humanitarian access and the application of international law.
Iceland’s response
Gunnarsdóttir’s response effectively turned Netanyahu’s phrase back toward the international debate over Gaza.
Rather than directly addressing the diplomats who left Netanyahu’s speech, she used the phrase “moral cowards” to describe leaders whom she said refuse negotiations for a just and lasting peace, deny humanitarian access or repeatedly disregard international law.
Her intervention therefore became one of the most notable diplomatic responses to Netanyahu’s remarks at the 2026 UN General Assembly.
The exchange underscored the sharply divided positions at the United Nations over Israel’s war in Gaza, Palestinian statehood, humanitarian access and the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
