The world is saying 'enough' to human suffering in Gaza

It was a powerful moment at the 80th United Nations General Assembly last week when the world quite literally turned its back on a leader accused of "committing genocide in Gaza.

- FORMER SENATOR ATTY. JOEY D. LINA

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was about to deliver his address at the UN, more than a hundred diplomats — about three fourths of those in the assembly hall — walked out before he even spoke, leaving the chamber hollow with so many empty seats.

The UN delegates did not want to hear more rhetoric justifying Israel's actions that have left Gaza in ruins. The mass walkout spoke louder than any verbal condemnation: Netanyahu's words no longer deserve the dignity of being heard.

At the same time, formal recognition of Palestinian statehood has surged. France, UK, Canada, and Australia have joined those that have recognized Palestine, bringing the total to 156 of the 195 UN member states. And others that have not extended formal recognition, such as the Philippines, are backing a two-state solution to the Palestine-Israel conflict.

For decades, Western countries have delayed recognition of Palestine as a state, waiting for negotiated peace that has not come. Now they are moving ahead, apparently frustrated in realizing that waiting for Israel to change course can be futile.

The walkout did not seem like routine theatrics or a mere gesture of protest. It could be a historic turning point, the culmination of months of horror in Gaza that has shocked global conscience. The images of starving, emaciated children and flattened neighborhoods tell of horrendous human suffering that denials just cannot erase.