Emirati influencers celebrate UAE sitting for Netanyahu’s speech to UN amid walkout

As Benjamin Netanyahu began addressing the 81st UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, delegates from dozens of countries left the hall in a collective protest for the second year in a row.

Representatives from a group of mainly western nations remained as the Israeli prime minister lashed out at critics, international media, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and leftwing pundit Hasan Piker, among others - and denied that his country was committing a genocide in Gaza. 

Among the countries whose representatives remained for his speech, noted many social media users, was the United Arab Emirates. 

While most online commentators criticised the decision, Emirati social media figures celebrated it, framing it as a peacemaking, exemplary and defiant move.

“THE UAE IS IN THE HALL. We show up. We don’t run😎,” Ahmed Khalifa, a prominent online defender of Abu Dhabi wrote on X, alongside a photograph showing Netanyahu speaking as many seats around the Emirati delegation were empty. 

Khalifa later posted: “It’s not our problem if you run! Be Brave. Face it. Listen. Argue point for point. Fleeing is childish. It only proves you’re incapable! 😉” 

"We stay and we listen. That’s how bridges are built," posted Rauda Altenaiji, who describes herself on her X profile as a "seeker of bold ideas".

"We don’t do it teenager-esque style. We Dubai It, even in politics 🇦🇪🇦🇪." 

The posts were met with ridicule and anger from other users, who interpreted the UAE’s presence as a signal of public support for Israel.

“You showed up for Netanyahu. You ran from every child bleeding in Gaza,” one user replied to Khalifa.

Others highlighted Abu Dhabi's role in Sudan's bloody war, where it backs the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been been accused of atrocities, including massacres, sexual violence and torture.

"Why would you run?" asked one user. "You're doing the exact same thing in Sudan that Israel is doing in Gaza."

The UAE has repeatedly denied supplying the RSF with weapons or other support, but its support for the paramilitary group is widely documented.

The presence of the UAE also prompted users to turn Netanyahu’s labelling of those who walked out as "moral cowards" against the Emirati delegation. 

"The UAE stayed. They are the most disgusting cowards,” one user wrote. 

Iran’s delegation was also absent from the chamber during Netanyahu’s speech, leaving a portrait of slain Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani at its seats.

“The Iranian delegation is not present for Netanyahu’s speech. Instead they’ve left a picture of Qasem Soleimani,” one X user wrote, sharing an image of the empty seats. 

Earlier in the day, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed world leaders in a pre-recorded video after the US denied him a visa to attend the UN gathering in person for the second consecutive year.

The walkout came amid growing protests in New York over Netanyahu’s visit. Several hundred people gathered near the UN, with demonstrators chanting “Stop arming Israel, let Gaza live”.

Around 100 people were arrested, according to the New York Police Department, including actors Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder.