‘’I invite you (Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas) to speak to the Israeli people at the Knesset in Jerusalem. And I would gladly come to speak to the Palestinian parliament in Ramallah,’’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared in his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Speaking shortly after Abbas's virulent speech, Netanyahu told the Palestinian leader: "You have a choice to make. You can continue to stoke hatred, as you did today, or you can confront hatred and work with me today."

"The road to peace runs through Jerusalem and Ramallah, not through New York," Netanyahu added.

In his own speech, Abbas repeatedly attacked Israel and called to return to the 1947 Partition Plan borders, rejected by the Arab nations. He also called on Britain to apologize for issuing the 1917 Balfour Declaration which expressed support for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in the land of Israel.

The Israeli War of Independence in 1948 was fought due Arab refusal to accept this initial partition plan.

Netanyahu answered Abbas's call by claiming that "had the Palestinians said yes to a Jewish State in 1947, there would have been no war, no refugees, and no conflict."

Then turning to attack Abbas's call to sue the British government over the Balfour Declaration, Netanyahu pointed out that just under 100 years had passed and sarcastically asked, "Why not bring a class action suit against Abraham for buying land in Hebron?" referencing the Biblical story.

Reiterating that he remains “committed to a vision of peace based on two states for two people,” Netanyahu said that “Israel is ready to negotiate all final status issues,” and that “the road to peace is through Jerusalem and Ramallah, not New York.”

“One thing I would never negotiate is our right to the one, only Jewish state,” Netanyahu said to some sustained applause.

“This conflict is not about the settlements, it never was,” he said in direct contradiction to Abbas’s comments earlier. “It’s always been about the existence of a Jewish state.

In his address, the Israeli premier also stressed that the United Nations “began as a moral force and has become a moral farce.

Nevertheless, Netanyahu predicted, “Israel has a bright future at the UN.”

“Back home, your governments are rapidly changing their attitudes toward Israel,” the prime minister said. “Everything will change, and a lot sooner than you think.”

“I believe the day is not far off that Israel will be able to count on many countries to stand with us at the UN. The days when UN ambassadors reflexively condemn Israel, those days are coming to an end.”