DOMINANT ANGLE
Oslo is dissociating the protocol attitude of its delegation, which remained seated and unmoved in the hemicycle, from the firm condemnation later pronounced by its Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The delegation, led by Minister Espen Barth Eide, remained seated while dozens of delegations walked out of the room (VG).
- 02
Netanyahu called the departing delegates "moral cowards" and claimed Israel was protecting several of the countries they represent (Aftenposten).
- 03
Aftenposten notes that an ICC arrest warrant targets Netanyahu for war crimes in Gaza, with no effect on his presence in New York because the United States does not recognize the Court.
ANALYSIS
Oslo, September 25, 2026. When Benyamin Netanyahu began his speech at the UN General Assembly by saying that the "moral cowards" still present could leave now, the Norwegian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, remained seated. Aftenposten and VG report the same scene: in the New York hemicycle, dozens of delegations stood up and left the room before the Israeli Prime Minister even spoke, while the Norwegian delegation maintained, according to VG, "well-trained poker faces". In the balcony, the Israeli press and guests applauded and chanted slogans of support; downstairs, Netanyahu addressed a half-empty room, a scenario that VG now considers usual for his UN interventions.
The protocolary silence of Oslo does not mean approval. According to Aftenposten, Minister Espen Barth Eide later sharply criticized the speech. Netanyahu rejected the accusations of genocide in Gaza, where more than 73,000 people have died according to the toll cited by the newspaper, calling them the "biggest lie" and asking if a country committing genocide would allow humanitarian aid to enter. He claimed that Israel was protecting several of the countries whose delegates had just left.
On Iran, the Prime Minister presented the destruction of the nuclear program as "one of the easiest decisions" of his career. Aftenposten downplays the actual extent of the damage: IAEA inspectors have not returned to the sites, some of which are buried in mountains and could be largely intact, and Tehran has maintained for over twenty years that it is not seeking nuclear weapons, even if experts fear a change in position after the war. Netanyahu thanked Donald Trump and promised to "continue to win".
The newspaper recalls that an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court targets Netanyahu for war crimes in Gaza, without consequence for his stay in New York since Washington does not recognize the ICC. VG, on the other hand, sees this speech primarily as an address to Israeli public opinion, just a few weeks before the legislative elections: "an election campaign speech, in prime time on Israeli television".
