South Africa was not in the chamber when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday – one of 77 countries an Israeli tally, reported by Ynet, listed as either absent from the chamber or having left as his speech began.
It is not clear from that list whether South Africa's delegation actively walked out or was simply not present when Netanyahu began speaking. The tally grouped both categories together, and some of the 77 countries listed had already been absent from the chamber before Netanyahu approached the podium.
A contested chamber
What is unambiguous is where South Africa stood on the substance. Delivering the country's national statement separately on Thursday, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola went further than an empty seat, accusing Israel directly of genocide in Gaza.
"The State of Israel's continued violations of international and humanitarian law constitute genocide," Lamola told the General Assembly, according to his speech, adding "the rights, dignity and humanity" of Palestinians "cannot be treated as conditional," and reaffirmed South Africa's commitment to a two-state solution "in accordance with UN resolutions".
"Nowhere is the need to uphold our shared humanity more urgent than in Palestine," Lamola said.
He called on the international community to act "decisively to end this impunity," and said international institutions of justice should be protected from sanctions and intimidation. South Africa has previously brought genocide proceedings against Israel at the International Criminal Court.
Lamola also used the statement to reaffirm South Africa's position on Western Sahara, saying the country remained in "longstanding solidarity" with its people and supported their "inalienable right to self-determination."
Dozens of envoys walked out of Netanyahu's address as he began defending Israel's military campaign in Gaza. According to video footage that spread fast across social media, delegates booed as he approached the podium, while members of his own delegation stood and applauded. The speaker of the session called for order.
"If there are any other moral cowards who haven't left this hall, please do so now," Netanyahu told the delegates who remained.
Lamola's statement landed on the same day, and the same UN platform, that Netanyahu was rejecting the genocide allegation outright.
According to AFP, the Israeli prime minister described the accusation as "the biggest lie of the century" and defended his country's military campaign, while attacking critics including the leaders of Iran, Britain, France and Turkey, as well as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Protests outside the UN
The scenes inside the chamber were mirrored on the streets of New York, where hundreds of demonstrators gathered near UN headquarters, blocking traffic ahead of Netanyahu's speech. Protesters chanted ""Sanction Israel right now," carrying banners condemning the war in Gaza.
Police arrested a number of protesters for blocking an intersection, including actress Susan Sarandon.