NEW YORK: The Majority of United Nations General Assembly members, including the Pakistani delegation led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, boycotted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech on Friday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the first speaker on Friday at the United Nations General Assembly.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was scheduled to speak immediately after Netanyahu. However, instead of attending the Israeli leader’s address, Shehbaz Sharif and the Pakistani delegation chose to boycott it.
Members of the Pakistani delegation, including Ambassador Asim Iftikhar, walked out of the hall as soon as Prime Minister Netanyahu began his speech.
The UN General Assembly hall appeared largely deserted during Netanyahu’s address to the global body.
The boycott included the entire Muslim bloc, with most European countries also choosing not to attend the speech.
Among the few who remained present in the General Assembly was the delegation from the United States.
Earlier, the Palestinian Authority had urged UN members to boycott Netanyahu’s speech, describing him as a “war criminal.”
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, related to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza that began in October 2023.
While Netanyahu was delivering a speech at the UNGA, the Palestinians and sympathizers were protesting outside the UN building.
