Over 100 detained in New York protest as Netanyahu addresses UN General Assembly
New York police arrested over 100 protesters Thursday outside the United Nations headquarters as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to address the General Assembly, with Academy Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon and comedian Hannah Einbinder among those detained.
Officers from the New York Police Department led away a handcuffed Sarandon, known for her roles in "Thelma & Louise" and "Dead Man Walking," as demonstrators gathered near the UN building. Einbinder, who stars in the HBO series "Hacks," was also taken into custody during the demonstration organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, a 30-year-old advocacy organization with 35 chapters across the United States and more than 32,000 active members.
The NYPD confirmed officers responded to an unscheduled demonstration where participants were blocking an intersection. After the Community Affairs Bureau issued multiple warnings advising people to disperse, authorities detained those who refused to comply. Jewish Voice for Peace reported on social media that approximately 400 people participated in the mass sit-in, holding banners reading "Stop Arming Israel" and "End the Genocide."
Diplomatic walkout as Netanyahu addresses UN
Inside the General Assembly hall, a dramatic diplomatic protest unfolded as 77 delegations walked out when Netanyahu began his speech, leaving large sections of the chamber empty. The Israeli prime minister has been the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant since November 21, 2024, for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed between October 8, 2023 and May 20, 2024. ICC member states are legally obligated to arrest Netanyahu if he enters their territory, with Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Slovenia, and Spain among countries that have indicated they would do so.
The walkout reflected deepening international division over Israel's actions. Over 145 UN member states now recognize Palestinian statehood, including major Israeli allies that shifted their positions in 2024 and 2025. Spain, Ireland, and Norway recognized Palestine in May 2024, followed by Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal on September 21, 2025. France announced its recognition the following day during the UN meeting.
Sarandon's activism and professional consequences
Sarandon's arrest marks the latest chapter in her increasingly public activism on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has come at professional cost. The actress was dropped by United Talent Agency in November 2023 following controversial remarks at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York, where she said Jewish Americans "are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country." She later apologized for the phrasing.
Speaking in February 2026 before receiving an International Goya award in Barcelona, Sarandon said she was "fired by my agency, specifically for marching and speaking out about Gaza, for asking for a ceasefire," adding that "It became impossible for me to even be on television." At the Venice Film Festival in September, she told journalists that agencies continue to advise against hiring her, though she emphasized finding solidarity among like-minded activists.
"I've still had movies taken away recently because there are agencies that are telling people not to hire me still. But that's the power structure. I think there has been a change in terms of the understanding of the situation and the general public, but there are still very strongly held positions within my industry that are held by Zionists and who have not relaxed their feelings towards me. But I found my family, I found my people, and I'm okay."
Jewish Voice for Peace, which organized Thursday's demonstration, was founded in 1996 by three UC Berkeley undergraduates in the San Francisco Bay Area as an all-volunteer peace group. The organization has grown significantly over three decades, becoming one of the largest progressive Jewish organizations advocating for Palestinian rights in the United States.
