Protests expected in NYC ahead of Netanyahu's speech at U.N. General Assembly

Dueling protests are expected Thursday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to address the United Nations General Assembly.

At noon, there will be a rally to welcome Netanyahu and another to protest the war in Gaza outside the U.N. building. His speech is expected to be around 2 p.m. 

There have been protests all week during the assembly. On Wednesday, there was a massive rally against antisemitism across the street from the United Nations with some of New York's largest Jewish organizations in attendance.

"I support him. I agree with him on just about everything, so I just want to show that I care," said New Jersey resident Myrna Beck.

Nerdeen Kiswani, the founder of a pro-Palestinian organization, said he will demonstrate against Netanyahu's visit.   

"He shouldn't be welcomed in New York City. He shouldn't be in the United States," he said. 

There was also a Free Iran rally Tuesday morning prior to President Trump's speech at the U.N.

Nearly two dozen people were taken into custody. The demonstration was peaceful and so were the arrests, the NYPD said. 

Israel's National Public Diplomacy Directorate also launched a campaign in the city with 500 billboards, trucks and advertisements exclaiming the threat posed by Iran. The messages could be seen on signs in Times Square and throughout Manhattan. 

There could also be some tension inside the U.N. hall. In 2025, dozens of diplomats boycotted Netanyahu's speech, walking out the moment he took to the podium to protest the war in Gaza.   

In a social media video posted Wednesday, the prime minister said in Hebrew that he is coming to the city to defend Israel and its soldiers.

"You hear the terrible lies being spread there… I will fight for the truth about our soldiers and our nation. And there will be surprises," Netanyahu said in the video.

He is expected to focus on Iran's effort to rebuild its nuclear program while also confronting international backlash. Beyond Gaza and Iran, Israel is also locked in active conflicts with Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.

This comes after another contentious day at the UN, where Iran's president spoke to the General Assembly as hundreds of Iranian-American demonstrators gathered outside demanding a regime change. 

President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted he won't bow to bullies or abandon Iran's civilian nuclear ambition.

Those statements came a day after Mr. Trump warned he would destroy the Islamic regime if no agreement is struck.