DOMINANT ANGLE
Reykjavik stands out for its inaction: the Icelandic representative remained seated at the UN General Assembly while dozens of delegations left the room as Benyamin Netanyahu took the floor, a choice that the government has not publicly explained so far.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The representative remained seated throughout Netanyahou's speech, while dozens of delegations left the room; a collaborator from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed this to Heimildin.
- 02
Netanyahou called those who still thought of leaving the room "moral cowards", even before starting his speech, according to Vísir.
- 03
Minister of Foreign Affairs Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir was not in the room at the time of the speech, held up by a meeting on UNRWA taking place at the same time.
ANALYSIS
Reykjavik, September 25, 2026. As dozens of delegations ostentatiously left the United Nations General Assembly hall on Thursday when Benyamin Netanyahou took the podium, Iceland chose not to associate itself with the gesture. The Icelandic representative remained seated throughout the speech, confirms a collaborator from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the media Heimildin.
The collective walkout had been called by the Palestinian mission to the UN, which had urged other states to fill the hall and then leave together as soon as the Israeli Prime Minister arrived at the podium, to signify their refusal of genocide, war crimes, and the illegal occupation of Palestine. Dozens of chairs were visibly empty in photos taken after the movement, reports Vísir.
Benyamin Netanyahou responded from the podium to those who still hesitated to leave, calling them "moral cowards": "If there are still moral cowards here who have not left the hall, do so now," he said at the beginning of his speech, according to Vísir. Jeers, protest cries, and supportive applause mixed in the hemicycle, forcing the President of the General Assembly to call for calm several times before Netanyahou could resume his speech in front of largely empty rows.
This is not the first time delegations have left the hall to protest against the Israeli Prime Minister: the same gesture had already occurred at the General Assembly last year, when he had criticized the decision of several Western countries.
On the Icelandic side, the official position remains vague beyond the absence of participation in the collective walkout: the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, was not in the hall at the time of the speech, held back by a meeting dedicated to UNRWA taking place at the same time, specifies Heimildin. No official Icelandic statement on the content of Netanyahou's speech has been made public so far, nor on the attitude of his representative who remained seated during the speech.
