AXIOS 18 mins ago - World - What to know about previous UN walkouts against world leaders - April Rubin - A largely empty audience in front of Netanhayu at the UN.

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World

What to know about previous UN walkouts against world leaders

April Rubin

A largely empty audience in front of Netanhayu at the UN.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses world leaders during the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 26 in New York City. Photo:  Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

In a recurring form of protest against widely contentious leaders, dozens of United Nations delegates walked out of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks on Friday.

Why it matters: Global pressure has mounted on Netanyahu to end violence in Gaza as the U.S. is increasingly isolated on the world stage for its support of Israel.

Driving the news: The vast majority of officials and diplomats at the UN General Assembly Hall walked out on Friday as Netanyahu took the stage for his address, in which he said Israel would "finish the job" in Gaza as quickly as possible.

Netanyahu ordered Israel's military to position loudspeakers around the Gaza Strip to broadcast his words to Palestinians.

Here are other times delegates walked out of United Nations speeches by Israeli, Russian and Iranian leaders during geopolitically fraught conditions:

Israel

2024: Diplomats walked out of Netanyahu's General Assembly speech last year, protesting against the war on Gaza and Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

At that point, the war was approaching its one-year mark.

Russia

2025: Earlier this year, dozens of dignitaries walked out of Russia's speech to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in support of Ukraine

2022: More than 100 diplomats from about 40 countries walked out of a speech by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva as a protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The walkout included envoys from the European Union, U.S., United Kingdom and others.

Iran

U.S. diplomats walked out of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's remarks several years in a row — and previously skipped his speech altogether.

2010: American diplomats and other delegations walked out of a United Nations summit after Ahmadinejad said "most nations" believed the 9/11 attacks were orchestrated by the U.S.

Ahmadinejad said the attacks were orchestrated to reverse the declining American economy and boost Israel.

The U.S. delegation's responded saying Ahmadinejad's claims were "abhorrent and delusional."

2011: Ahmadinejad, the following year, attacked the U.S. and other major powers as militarists and imperialists who were unfit to dominate global governance.

He criticized the U.S. for killing Osama bin Laden, saying he should have been brought to trial.

Go deeper: Netanyahu faces mass walk out protest at UN speech