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 needed to rebuild the Gaza Strip has been collected. Here is a look at the latest news from the Middle East. Full coverage is available here. Netanyahu calls claims of Gaza genocide the ‘lie of the century’ Allegations of Israeli genocide in Gaza are “the biggest lie of the century,” Netanyahu told world leaders in a defiant speech before the UN General Assembly. 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. “If there are any other moral cowards who have not yet left the hall, please do so now,” Netanyahu said. His voice rising in emphasis, Netanyahu said attacking Iran “was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make” and denounced as “moral cowards” delegates who walked out of the hall. Abbas addresses UN by video after visa is denied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was forced to address the UN in a prerecorded video after the United States again denied him a visa to attend the General Assembly. The 90-year-old leader’s 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. “We will not leave our homeland. We will not accept displacement. And we will not allow anyone to decide our future on our behalf,” Abbas said. 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. It was the second straight year Abbas was denied a visa. Hamas says it’s ready to advance Gaza peace agreement A Hamas spokesman said the group is ready to move forward with the next steps of a peace agreement, after Trump’s Board of Peace unveiled a six-month, US$2.45-billion plan for Gaza’s reconstruction. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem expressed the Palestinian militant group’s “full readiness to implement the Board of Peace’s roadmap” but made no mention of any disarmament plans. Israel has said it will not allow reconstruction until Hamas disarms. 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. A top EU official said only one billion euros (US$1.1 billion) has been raised of the 71 billion euros (US$80.8 billion) that the United Nations, the World Bank and the 27-nation European Union estimate are needed to rebuild Gaza. Houthis claim attacks on Saudi targets Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed attacks on a “sensitive target” 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. 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. 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 “unjust siege and the launching of aggressive airstrikes” from Saudi territory. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify the claims. 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‘s Red Sea port of Yanbu and southwestern city of Taif had been intercepted. At the UN, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, said he wasn’t worried about a Houthi takeover of parts of Yemen, and that the government is “very capable of defending the territory it controls.” Asked about the U.S. decision to not get militarily involved against the Houthis, the prince deflected. He also refused to say whether Saudi Arabia would join the Abraham Accords, saying that the full implementation of the Gaza peace plan must happen before anything else. UN urges access to humanitarian aid for civilians in Yemen The UN 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. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk 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. also called for the release of 73 UN staffers detained by the Houthis in the past few years. The Associated Press
