Botswana has stopped short of confirming whether its delegation joined the UNGA walkout, leaving key diplomatic questions unanswered for now
BONGANI MALUNGA
Botswana has stopped short of confirming whether its delegation joined a dramatic walkout during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), leaving questions hanging over what would amount to a pointed diplomatic gesture towards a country with which Botswana has maintained relations for more than five decades.
Botswana has appeared on widely circulated lists of countries whose seats were empty during Netanyahu’s September 24 address in New York. However, available accounts do not conclusively distinguish between every delegation that physically walked out and countries whose representatives were already absent from the chamber.
Reports of a 77-country protest, for example, have grouped together delegations that walked out with those that were absent when Netanyahu spoke. Botswana is among the countries appearing in that broader category. Reuters footage independently confirms that dozens of delegates walked out as Netanyahu took the podium, but does not provide a definitive country-by-country identification.
SEEKING ANSWERS
Against that uncertainty, The Botswana Gazette approached Minister of International Relations Dr Phenyo Butale seeking an unequivocal confirmation of whether Botswana participated in the walkout and, if so, whether the move was authorised and what message the government intended to send.
Butale did not immediately confirm or deny Botswana’s participation, instead telling the Gazette that government needed more time to respond because of the delicate nature of the matter.
The guarded response leaves Botswana in an awkward position as its name is circulating internationally alongside countries associated with the protest, while the government has yet to establish whether its delegation actually walked out, was simply absent, or whether some representatives left while others remained.
TAKING NOTES
The incident attracted further attention after footage emerged showing an Israeli official moving through the UN chamber and apparently taking notes as he inspected empty delegation seats. Al Jazeera reported that the official was filmed taking notes following the walkout, although the contents of those notes were not visible.
The distinction between deliberately walking out and merely being absent could prove important diplomatically.
Botswana has maintained formal diplomatic relations with Israel since December 1972. It also formally established relations with the State of Palestine in March 2017, according to the Ministry of International Relations’ diplomatic records.
Under Butale, Botswana has publicly stated that its foreign policy is anchored on peaceful coexistence, peaceful resolution of conflict, human rights and multilateralism. Earlier this year, the minister said government wanted a human-rights-centred foreign policy while maintaining strategic international partnerships.
That makes clarity over what happened in New York particularly important. A deliberate walkout would constitute a visible diplomatic action and would raise questions about whether Botswana was signalling a harder position towards Israel. An absence, on the other hand, would not necessarily carry the same meaning.
For now, Botswana has confirmed neither interpretation. Until government provides its promised response, the central questions remain unanswered: Was Botswana part of the protest? Who authorised it, if it was? What message was Botswana sending? And does the episode have any implications for Botswana’s longstanding diplomatic relationship with Israel?