UNGA 79: Malaysian delegates and others walk out in protest as Israeli Prime Minister begins his speech

NEW YORK: The Malaysian delegation was among the groups that left the assembly hall before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his general debate speech at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Malaysian language portal Astro Awani reports.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan told Astro Awani that during the meeting, all countries that supported the Palestinian resolution in line with the decisions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the UN Security Council (UNSC) took similar measures.

“As we could see, when Netanyahu entered the hall to begin his speech, everyone stood up and left. We, the Malaysian delegation, also left completely.

“The countries that support the decisions or opinions of the International Court of Justice all left the room. It was empty.”

“But as always, Netanyahu has arrogantly and pompously minimized the role of the UN and its organizations, as if the UN had no role to play,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian News Agency (Antara) reported that Indonesian delegates also left the session, Bernama reported.

At the start of the same session, the Turkish delegation and many others walked out of the meeting hall in protest before Netanyahu began his general debate speech.

The delegation led by Turkiye’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ahmet Yildiz, was reportedly among those who took similar measures.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Netanyahu’s presence at the UN General Assembly, calling it “shameful.”