By Rahim Abdul
Malawi’s delegation remained in the United Nations General Assembly chamber on Thursday as dozens of delegations walked out during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address.
According to reports by CB News, the Malawian delegation, led by Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Dr George Chaponda, remained seated throughout Netanyahu’s speech.
The walkout took place shortly after Netanyahu took to the podium, with representatives from several countries leaving the chamber as he began his address.
The move came amid continued international disagreement over Israel’s military operations in Gaza and its wider policies in the Middle East.
An Israeli government tally reported that 77 delegations were either absent or left the General Assembly chamber at the beginning of Netanyahu’s address.
The figure, however, included both countries whose representatives were already absent and those whose delegates physically walked out of the chamber.
Malawi was not included in the tally, indicating that its representatives remained in the chamber during the Israeli Prime Minister’s address.
The presence of Malawi’s delegation in the chamber does not, by itself, establish the government’s position on all the issues raised by Netanyahu during his speech.
There has also been no publicly stated explanation from the Malawian government on why its delegation chose to remain in the chamber during the address.
The walkout attracted considerable attention as several sections of the General Assembly chamber became visibly empty while Netanyahu continued speaking.
Netanyahu used his address to defend Israel’s actions and respond to international criticism surrounding the conflict in Gaza and other regional security issues.
The contrasting actions by the delegations have since become one of the notable moments of Netanyahu’s appearance at the United Nations General Assembly.
