{"id":7574,"date":"2026-09-24T03:13:49","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T10:13:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/news\/7882355\/netanyahu-arrives-in-new-york-to-address-the-un-and-other-mideast-developments\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T15:45:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T22:45:10","slug":"delegates-walk-out-as-netanyahu-addresses-un-and-other-mideast-developments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/7574\/delegates-walk-out-as-netanyahu-addresses-un-and-other-mideast-developments\/","title":{"rendered":"Delegates walk out as Netanyahu addresses UN, and other Mideast developments"},"content":{"rendered":"

Israel’s increasingly isolated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> took center stage at the United Nations General Assembly<\/a> on Thursday, defending his decision to attack Iran as an easy one.<\/p>\n

Hamas said it was ready to move forward on a Gaza peace agreement, while a top European Union official said only a small amount of the funds needed to rebuild the Gaza Strip<\/a> has been collected.<\/p>\n

Here is a look at the latest news from the Middle East. More coverage of the U.N. General Assembly is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu calls claims of Gaza genocide the \u2018lie of the century\u2019<\/p>\n

Allegations of Israeli genocide in Gaza are \u201cthe biggest lie of the century,\u201d Netanyahu told world leaders in a defiant speech before the U.N. General Assembly.<\/p>\n

\n \"|\"
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Yuki Iwamura)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Netanyahu’s appearance in the hall was met with a mix of cheers, boos and mass walkouts. Scores of delegates trooped out and a majority of seats sat empty as he spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there are any other moral cowards who have not yet left the hall, please do so now,\u201d Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n

His voice rising in emphasis, Netanyahu said attacking Iran \u201cwas one of the easiest decisions I\u2019ve ever had to make\u201d and denounced as \u201cmoral cowards\u201d delegates who walked out of the hall.<\/p>\n

Abbas addresses UN by video after visa is denied<\/p>\n

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was forced to address the U.N. in a prerecorded video after the United States again denied him a visa to attend the General Assembly.<\/p>\n

\n \"|\"
A photo of the late Qasem Soleimani is displayed as chairs for delegates from Iran are unoccupied while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Heather Khalifa) ADDS ID<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 90-year-old leader\u2019s popularity at home and relevance abroad have both waned. But in his remarks, Abbas made clear he did not intend to quietly accept being sidelined.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will not leave our homeland. We will not accept displacement. And we will not allow anyone to decide our future on our behalf,\u201d Abbas said.<\/p>\n

Though world leaders have repeatedly invoked the plight of Palestinians in speeches throughout the week, Abbas urged the international community to take more tangible action against Israel.<\/p>\n

It was the second straight year Abbas was denied a visa.<\/p>\n

Hamas says it’s ready to advance Gaza peace agreement <\/p>\n

\n \"|\"
Chairs for Palestinian delegates are unoccupied as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Yuki Iwamura)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Hamas spokesman said the group is ready to move forward with the next steps of a peace agreement, after Trump\u2019s Board of Peace unveiled a six-month, $2.45-billion plan for Gaza’s reconstruction. <\/p>\n

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem expressed the Palestinian militant group\u2019s \u201cfull readiness to implement the Board of Peace\u2019s roadmap\u201d but made no mention of any disarmament plans. <\/p>\n

Israel has said it will not allow reconstruction until Hamas disarms.<\/p>\n

Last year, Hamas agreed to a plan that includes disarmament but has since traded accusations with Israel of ceasefire violations and has accused Israel of violating the agreement by continuing to occupy much of Gaza.<\/p>\n

Houthis claim attacks on Saudi targets<\/p>\n

\n \"|\"
Demonstrators gather to protest ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Madison Swart)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed attacks on a \u201csensitive target\u201d in the Saudi capital of Riyadh and on Aramco oil company facilities in the Saudi port city of Yanbu, but did not provide evidence of those claims. <\/p>\n

Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said in a statement that cruise and ballistic missiles and drones were used, but did not specify when. It was the second claim of an attack against the Saudi capital in days.<\/p>\n

The rebels also said they fired dozens of missiles and drones on the southwestern Saudi province of Jazan. Saree said that they were in response to the \u201cunjust siege and the launching of aggressive airstrikes\u201d from Saudi territory. <\/p>\n

The Associated Press couldn\u2019t independently verify the claims.<\/p>\n

The Saudi government and Aramco did not immediately respond to requests for comments. A Saudi military spokesman, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, had said earlier that six ballistic missiles targeting Saudi Arabia<\/a> \u2019s Red Sea port of Yanbu and southwestern city of Taif had been intercepted.<\/p>\n

At the U.N., Saudi Arabia\u2019s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, said he wasn\u2019t worried about a Houthi takeover of parts of Yemen, and that the government is \u201cvery capable of defending the territory it controls.\u201d<\/p>\n

UN urges access to humanitarian aid for civilians in Yemen <\/p>\n

The U.N. pleaded for the fast delivery of humanitarian aid in Yemen as fighting between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces intensifies an already dire humanitarian situation.<\/p>\n

U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker T\u00fcrk said people fleeing violence need access to food, shelter and healthcare. Ground fighting, artillery and aerial strikes have killed and wounded at least 125 civilians since the beginning of August. T\u00fcrk also called for the release of 73 U.N. staffers detained by the Houthis in the past few years.<\/p>\n

UNRWA raises tens of millions of dollars<\/p>\n

UN agency for Palestinian refugees raises tens of millions of dollars including from France, Germany, Spain and Belgium<\/p>\n

Jordan\u2019s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said over 50 countries attended a closed ministerial meeting on the agency, known as UNRWA, on the sidelines of the U.N.\u2019s annual gathering of world leaders on Thursday which he welcomed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to emphasize that UNRWA is indispensable, irreplaceable against the horrific humanitarian reality that continues to exist in Gaza,\u201d he told a press conference afterward.<\/p>\n

Israel has banned UNRWA from operating in its territory and the United States has cut all funding.<\/p>\n

UNRWA\u2019s acting commissioner-general Christian Saunders said the agency received about 30 million euros Thursday, according to an unconfirmed tally, bringing its deficit down to near $60 million. <\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Israel’s increasingly isolated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took center stage at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, defending his decision to attack Iran as an easy one. Hamas said it was ready to move forward on a Gaza peace agreement, while a top European Union official said only a small amount of the funds […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":7588,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"guid":"cf1623e0-844e-42cd-a23f-bf8798f91ace","source":"The Associated Press","byline":"","published":"2026-09-24 03:13:49","updated":"2026-09-24 15:39:51","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1303,1456,1304],"tags":[],"region":[1301],"class_list":["post-7574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","category-religion","category-world","region-world"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/7574\/delegates-walk-out-as-netanyahu-addresses-un-and-other-mideast-developments\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Delegates walk out as Netanyahu addresses UN, and other Mideast developments","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/7574\/delegates-walk-out-as-netanyahu-addresses-un-and-other-mideast-developments\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/7574\/delegates-walk-out-as-netanyahu-addresses-un-and-other-mideast-developments\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-9e09df4d765789865add481e913b0772a3f47230402c4984483904e65efdec3e.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-9e09df4d765789865add481e913b0772a3f47230402c4984483904e65efdec3e.jpg"},"articleSection":"International","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Associated Press"}],"creator":["The Associated Press"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNwheels","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-09-24T10:13:49Z","datePublished":"2026-09-24T10:13:49Z","dateModified":"2026-09-24T22:45:10Z"},"rendered":"