According to reports by Filipino media such as the Philippine Star on September 27, the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that on the 24th, when Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Filipino representatives left the venue along with representatives from dozens of other countries.
Philippines Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ana Lindol Ratoin declared that the Philippines' participation in the withdrawal is to "showcase global support for Middle Eastern peace through unity" and call on all parties to cease unilateral actions that disrupt the peace conditions and jeopardize the future prospects of Palestinians.
Latorne also stated that the Philippines is deeply concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and is worried about Israel’s advancement of the E1 settlement plan, as well as the continuous increase in violence by settlers on the West Bank. She said that these actions are not conducive to finding a “just, lasting, and comprehensive solution” to the Middle East conflict. The Philippines has always supported a “two-state solution”.
Israeli Prime Minister speaks at the General Assembly; representatives from multiple countries collectively withdraw from the event.
The on-site footage initially did not clearly show whether the Filipino delegation was present or not, and there was no official count of participants. Therefore, some media and observers mistakenly listed the Philippines as a country remaining in the arena.
Filipino Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Enrique Manalo, also confirmed with Filipino media that the Philippines was involved in the withdrawal at that time.
According to Reuters, when Netanyahu stepped onto the stage, dozens of representatives left the venue in protest, leaving large areas of seats empty. In response to the departing representatives, Netanyahu called them “moral cowards.” He then continued his speech for about 40 minutes, defending Israel’s military actions in Gaza and other places, and denying accusations that Israel had carried out “genocide.”
During the speech, Netanyahu also targeted New York Mayor Bloomberg, some Western leaders, as well as Qatar and Turkey, accusing them of spreading false statements against Israel. Qatar and Turkey subsequently denied his related accusations.
The Philippine Star newspaper points out that this is Netanyahu's third consecutive year at the UN General Assembly to have representatives walk out during his speech.
