MONROVIA — The controversy over whether Liberia participated in the walkout during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the United Nations has taken on added significance because of Liberia’s longstanding historical relationship with Israel.
Liberian Information Minister Jerolinmek Matthew Piah has rejected reports that Liberia joined the walkout, describing such reports as “false, misleading and untrue.” He said Liberia remained represented inside the General Assembly Hall while Netanyahu delivered his address.
The clarification has attracted particular attention because of Israel’s historical involvement in Liberia, especially during the 1960s and 1970s, when Israeli technical experts, development specialists and institutions were involved in various areas of Liberia’s development and infrastructure modernization.
During that period, Israel and Liberia maintained close diplomatic and development relations, with Israeli assistance extending into areas including agriculture, technical training, construction, water development and other development-related projects. The relationship became part of a broader period in which Liberia sought foreign technical expertise to strengthen its infrastructure and human-resource capacity.
It is against that historical backdrop that some Liberians say the question of whether Liberia walked out on Netanyahu carries significance beyond the events of a single UN session.
The reports initially circulated claiming that Liberia was among countries whose representatives left the General Assembly chamber when Netanyahu took the podium. Some Israeli sources were cited in support of the claim.
But Minister Piah has categorically rejected the reports.
“During the General Assembly, when Israel, through their Prime Minister was speaking, Liberia was among countries awarded,” Piah said in correcting the report. “That information is totally false, misleading, and untrue.”
Liberia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Baba Sillah, has also reportedly said Liberia’s delegation remained inside the chamber.
The distinction is important. There is little dispute that a large number of delegations walked out as Netanyahu began speaking. The dispute concerns whether Liberia was among them.
For Liberians familiar with the country’s historical relationship with Israel, the distinction matters because Liberia and Israel have a history that predates the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict by decades.
The development cooperation of the 1960s and 1970s remains part of the historical record of Liberia’s international partnerships during a period when the country was pursuing modernization and infrastructure development.
Consequently, a report that Liberia had deliberately joined a diplomatic walkout against the Israeli Prime Minister could be interpreted by some Liberians as a significant departure from that historical relationship.
At the same time, Liberia’s government has now made its position clear: Liberia did not walk out.
The remaining question is therefore one of evidence. If conflicting reports continue to circulate, the most definitive way to resolve the controversy would be through UN video footage, official seating records or other documentation showing Liberia’s delegation during Netanyahu’s speech.
For Liberians, establishing what actually happened is important—not only because of the diplomatic implications of the UN incident, but also because of the country’s long and sometimes overlooked history of cooperation with Israel.
