Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shortened the programme of his visit to the United States. He will arrive in the United States on Thursday morning, address the United Nations General Assembly in New York and return to Israel the same day. The prospect of protests in New York is among the reasons for shortening the visit. New York’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has called Netanyahu a war criminal and the architect of a terrible genocide against Palestinians.
Netanyahu will set off for the United States on Wednesday and is due to give his address at the United Nations at 2pm New York time on Thursday, that is 9pm Israeli time. Officials concerned said the subject of Iran will be the main focus of Netanyahu’s speech. It has also been suggested that the speech may contain something startling. This time, however, he will not spend the night in New York. He will leave for Israel on Thursday evening as soon as the speech is over. No journalists will travel with him.
Netanyahu’s aircraft, Wing of Zion, may land at a military airbase in New Jersey or at Newark Liberty International Airport rather than at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York. The decision has been taken in view of the difficulty of coordinating with the relevant US authorities and the possible situation around New York mayor Zohran Mamdani.
His itinerary had earlier included a stop in Texas and a meeting with Elon Musk. That too has been cancelled. An Israeli official said the meeting was cancelled for two reasons: the need for an additional refuelling stop, and reluctance on the American side about last-minute arrangements.
No meeting with US President Donald Trump is scheduled during this visit. A meeting with US secretary of state Marco Rubio is possible, however. Efforts are also under way to arrange meetings with leaders of other countries who are in New York, though the shortage of time has made such meetings difficult to arrange.
New York’s mayor is meeting President Trump at Gracie Mansion on Tuesday. The meeting will not be open to the media. After addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Trump is scheduled to return to Washington for a meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping.
The threat from Iran will have particular prominence in Netanyahu’s speech. Officials close to him have suggested the speech will contain something startling.