CASTRIES, St Lucia — Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre has disputed reports of a St Lucia UN walkout during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the UN General Assembly, telling Monday’s pre-Cabinet press briefing that one person remained in the country’s seat during the speech.
“Saint Lucia did not walk out,” Pierre said when asked about the reports. The account of his remarks did not identify who occupied the seat or establish whether other members of the delegation left the hall. Neither Pierre’s account of the delegation’s movements nor the earlier reports naming St Lucia have been independently confirmed.
What the St Lucia UN walkout reports said
Dozens of delegates left the General Assembly hall Thursday, Sept. 24, as Netanyahu began speaking. He responded by calling those who left “moral cowards.”
An earlier report published that day said St Lucia was listed among 17 Latin American and Caribbean countries whose representatives reportedly left the chamber. It noted that available information did not establish that Pierre personally joined those leaving. Barbados has also denied taking part.
The accounts of individual delegations require care. A 2026 Anadolu review of footage found that some countries left a representative or junior diplomat behind, while others did not attend Netanyahu’s address. Its report does not establish what each member of the St Lucia delegation did.
Pierre’s UN address
Pierre said Monday that St Lucia’s position on conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere remains clear.
In his address to the General Assembly on Friday, Sept. 25, he lamented continued conflict and human suffering in Ukraine, Sudan and the wider Middle East, including Gaza. He called for renewed efforts toward peace, stability and respect for international law.
He also restated St Lucia’s position on Palestinian statehood. “In accordance with their right to self-determination and UN resolutions, in particular Resolution 3236 of 1974, the people of Palestine should be allowed their own State and full membership of the UN, alongside the state of Israel,” he said.
Regional stakes for St Lucia
Pierre chairs the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), having assumed the rotating role July 1 for a term ending Dec. 31. The position gives his appearances at the General Assembly added regional visibility.
St Lucia has supported Palestinian statehood at the UN before. It was among the sponsors of a May 2024 General Assembly draft resolution on Palestine’s membership. The measure was adopted by a vote of 143-9, with 25 abstentions.
