Israel UN ambassador detained after protesting Iranian president during General Assembly speech

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations was briefly detained after he silently protested in support of Iranian women while the Islamic Republic's president, Ebrahim Raisi, addressed the General Assembly.

Shortly after Raisi's speech started on Tuesday, Israel's U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan stood up and raised a sign featuring the message, "Iranian women deserve freedom now," and a picture of Mahsa Amini, whose death after being arrested by Iran's "morality police" sparked worldwide protests last year.

Erdan walked toward the podium as he held the sign above his head and then walked toward the exit of the assembly hall, where he was met by security personnel who escorted him out.

Iranian media outlet IRNA posted a video of Erdan being escorted out as a voice can be heard saying, "Israel is a terrorist."

The ambassador was temporarily detained by U.N. security personnel after leaving the plenum, while hundreds of people outside the building protested Iran.

"When President Raisi of Iran, the 'Butcher of Tehran,' began his speech, I waved a picture of Mahsa Amini, the innocent Iranian woman who was brutally murdered by the regime one year ago for not wearing a hijab 'properly,'" Erdan said in a caption to a video of his protest that he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Those who roll out the red carpet for murderers and antisemites must be held accountable for their actions!"

Following Amini's death, more than 550 protesters were killed, according to the non-profit Iran Human Rights. As to Erdan's claim that Iran is antisemitic, the Islamic Republic has actively denied the Holocaust and Israel's right to exist. 

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