Bangladesh delegation was absent during Netaneyahu's UNGA speech due to other engagements: CA Press Wing
The speeches of the prime ministers of Israel, Pakistan and China had already concluded well before the Bangladesh delegation entered the UNGA Hall, says CA's Deputy Press Secretary Azad Majumder
Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Azad Majumder has dismissed as baseless claims circulating on social media that Bangladesh's delegation was present in the UN General Assembly Hall during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech, calling them "propaganda of the fallen forces."
"Lies are their only recourse now," he said, emphasising Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus's official engagements yesterday morning (26 September), ahead of his address at the 80th UNGA.
Azad said the chief adviser had two scheduled programmes in the morning.
The first was a meeting with officials of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, an international platform comprising former presidents and prime ministers of various countries, held at a hotel at 9am (New York time).
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The second was a meeting with the prime minister of Bhutan, which took place at the UN Headquarters at 10:30am.
"When the Bangladesh delegation, led by the chief adviser, entered the General Assembly Hall after these meetings, the prime minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, was delivering his speech," Azad said.
He said the speeches of the prime ministers of Israel, Pakistan and China had already concluded well before the Bangladesh delegation entered the UNGA Hall.
As the Israeli leader spoke, unintelligible shouts echoed around the hall, while applause came from supporters in the gallery.
Many seats were vacant; by Iran's empty chairs stood a compilation of photos of children that Tehran said were killed during Israel's war there in June.
Surrounded by critics and protesters at the UN, Netanyahu told world leaders yesterday that his nation "must finish the job" against Hamas in Gaza, giving a defiant speech despite growing international isolation over his refusal to end the devastating war.
"Western leaders may have buckled under the pressure," he said. "And I guarantee you one thing: Israel won't."
Netanyahu's speech, aimed as much at his increasingly divided domestic audience as the global one, began after dozens of delegates from multiple nations walked out of the UNGA Hall en masse yesterday morning as he began.
Responding to countries' recent decisions to recognise Palestinian statehood, Netanyahu said, "Your disgraceful decision will encourage terrorism against Jews and against innocent people everywhere."
