Netanyahu addresses UN General Assembly in NYC

NEW YORK - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the General Assembly Friday after leaders publicly condemned Israel's actions in Gaza Thursday.

"I didn’t intend to come here this year. My country is at war fighting for its life," Netanyahu said. "But after I heard the lies and slanders leveled at my country by many of the speakers at this podium, I decided to come here and set the record straight."

Speeches at the U.N. General Assembly this week have mainly focused on Israel's war with Hamas and the fighting in Lebanon.

He insisted that Israel wanted peace but said of Iran: "If you strike us, we will strike you." He once again blamed Iran for being behind many of the problems in the region.

SKIP TO: STREET CLOSURES | PROTESTS | ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

On Thursday, both Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority, and Abdallah Bouhabib, Lebanon’s foreign minister, used their platforms to criticize Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem on September 2, 2024. (Photo by Ohad Zwigenberg / POOL / AFP) (Photo by OHAD ZWIGENBERG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Abbas opened his speech with "we will not leave," accusing Israel of destroying Gaza and making it unlivable.

Bouhabib called Israel’s actions "acts that are tantamount to war crimes."

Israel’s U.N. ambassador responded to Abbas’ speech within minutes, saying, "Abbas spoke for 26 minutes and did not say the word ‘Hamas’ once. Since the massacre of Oct. 7, Abbas has failed to condemn Hamas for their crimes against humanity," he said.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 26: Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, speaks during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters on September 26, 2024 in New York City. Global leaders convened for the

Expand

Israel has maintained its military operations are justified and are necessary to defend itself.

Israel-Hamas War latest

Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 41,500 Palestinians and wounded more than 96,000 others, according to the latest figures released Thursday by the Health Ministry. The ministry, part of Gaza’s Hamas government, doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants, but more than half the dead have been women and children, including about 1,300 children under the age of 2.

Over 700 people have been killed in Lebanon this week, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Israel has dramatically escalated strikes, saying it is targeting Hezbollah’s military capacities and senior Hezbollah commanders.

The United States, France and other allies jointly called for a 21-day cease-fire. Lebanon’s foreign minister said the country welcomed the cease-fire efforts, and decried Israel’s "systematic destruction of Lebanese border villages."

NYC street closures, gridlock, protests

Protests are expected to happen on Friday ahead of Netanyahu's address.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 24: Protestors gather outside the New York Public Library holding a large effigy of Isreal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before marching to the United Nations in protest of Netanyahu's actions in the Middle East on

Expand

On Thursday, the headquarters and parts of midtown were surrounded by protests upon Netanyahu’s arrival in New York.

UN General Assembly 2024 dates

The last day of the high-level General Debate is Monday, Sept. 30.

UN road closures NYC

The following streets are closed, according to the NYPD:

1st Avenue (upper roadway) closed with managed access from 42nd street to 49th Street. 1st Avenue tunnel (lower roadway) will remain open to passenger vehicles and MTA buses only.
42nd Street between the FDR and 2nd Avenue closed with managed access. (FDR 42nd street exit ramp will open after 1900 hours for west bound traffic only.)
43rd Street between 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue.
44th Street between 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue.
45th Street between 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue.
46th Street between 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue.
48th Street between 1st Avenue and FDR.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.