Many countries protest Israeli speeches at International Labor Conference session

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - A large number of delegations left the International Labor Conference session in Geneva in protest when an Israeli government delegate and an employer took the floor for an address.

The incidents occurred during a special sitting on the situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories, where many countries voiced solidarity with Palestinian workers amid the ongoing war.

For Israel's turn, government delegate Yeela Cytrin took the stage, and that is when a small group of countries -- what seemed to be a previously planned move -- stood up and left the room. To show solidarity, other countries joined the protest.

Before the end of Cytrin's speech, half of the room was already empty.

Israeli delegate began her speech, saying: "It is odd that my country is the topic of discussion, yet we are not considered a concern country for the purpose of this debate. This perhaps exemplifies the blind narrative that is prevalent here today."

She also recognized the protest against her speech by saying that “half the forum leaves during the discussion” and blamed the room for "demonizing" Israel.

A similar protest happened a few speeches later when an Israeli employer, Ishai Pollack, addressed the room.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 36,650 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 83,300 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.