Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to New York this week to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The Israeli prime minister's schedule includes no meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, and the visit is expected to be brief and limited to a small number of engagements.
Barak Seri, an Israeli military intelligence analyst and former officer, described the visit as “very unusual, very short and almost devoid of meetings.” Seri said Netanyahu was being isolated internationally and that Trump did not want to meet with him.
Israel's standing in Washington and criticism of Israel
Dan Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador serving in Tel Aviv, said Israel's standing in the United States had suffered “an unprecedented decline.” Shapiro said Netanyahu was not part of the solution to this decline and that it had reached an unprecedented level even among Republicans, Trump's party.
Shapiro said Trump could conclude that working with another government would be easier ahead of the elections planned in Israel for October 27.
Eli Ohana, a former football star and former president of Beitar Jerusalem, said the situation in Israel was “not ideal.” Ohana said he avoided identifying himself as Israeli while abroad and concealed his identity while vacationing in Greece. He said Israel was going through “an abnormal period.”
Protests expected in New York
Israeli media reported earlier efforts to arrange a meeting between Netanyahu and Trump. Nevertheless, Netanyahu's current schedule includes no meeting with the U.S. president.
Netanyahu is scheduled to address the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at 14:00 New York time. Protests against Netanyahu are expected in New York during the visit. The demonstrations are expected to condemn Israel's war in Gaza and its attacks on Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank.
The situation in Gaza and the West Bank
Approximately 74,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 175,000 injured in the war in Gaza. Most of those killed and injured are children and women.
Approximately 90 percent of Gaza's civilian infrastructure has been damaged as a result of the destruction caused by the war, while reconstruction costs are estimated at about $70 billion. Attacks on Palestinians and their property have also intensified in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Election schedule and corruption cases
General elections in Israel are planned for October 27. Netanyahu has led the current government since the end of December 2022. The government is described as the most right-wing in Israel's history.
Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate corruption cases. Critics in Israel and other countries argue that he has prolonged military operations to delay court hearings.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
