It Wasn't Impromptu.. Netanyahu Wrote 'Moral Cowards' in His Speech Before Delegations Left (Photo)

Photos show that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had already included in his prepared speech text the description of delegations leaving the General Assembly hall as "moral cowards," before taking the podium and delivering his address at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday.

According to the British newspaper Independent, this early inclusion in the draft text clearly indicates he anticipated the departure of delegations, drawing on a similar experience from the previous year.

Netanyahu began his speech with the ready-made line: "Before I begin, I have a quick announcement: if there are any other moral cowards who haven’t left this hall yet, please do so now."

The full text was released by the Prime Minister’s Office, confirming the statement was an integral part of the pre-written speech, not an impromptu remark, as shown by a widely circulated photo taken by a photographer from AFP.

As Netanyahu ascended the podium, dozens of delegates from Arab and Islamic countries, along with others, exited the hall, leaving most seats visibly empty amid limited applause and chants of "Habibi Israel Chai" from one side, and expressions of outrage from the other, forcing the General Assembly President Khalil Rahman to repeat his call for order.

The move came in response to a call from the Palestinian delegation urging mass exit in protest against the war in Gaza and policies in the West Bank, with some reports estimating around 77 delegations absent or having withdrawn.

Netanyahu immediately accused the departing delegates of hypocrisy, stating that Israel, in defending itself, also defends many nations whose representatives had left the hall, and that leaders of those countries had privately thanked Israel for destroying Iranian nuclear facilities.

He described the decision to strike Iran as "one of the easiest decisions" he had made, as the alternative would have been mass death, while rejecting allegations of genocide in Gaza, calling them "the biggest lie of the century," and reiterated that the Israeli military is "the most ethical army in the world."