Israeli Media: Fears of Maddhani and Protests Lead Netanyahu to Shorten His Visit to New York
Agencies2 min read
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The "Yedioth Ahronoth" newspaper reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will shorten his visit to New York to deliver a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, amid fears that New York City Mayor Zahran Maddhani may take action against him during his stay in the city, along with concerns about anti-Netanyahu protests.
According to the report, Netanyahu will arrive in the United States on Thursday morning, and will deliver his speech at the United Nations at 14:00 New York time, and will not stay overnight in the city as usual, nor will he take journalists on board the "Wings of Zion" plane.
The newspaper said that the plane is likely to land at a military airport in New Jersey or at Newark Airport, instead of John F. Kennedy Airport, due to difficulties in coordinating with US authorities and concerns related to the plane's stay at the airport during the visit.
"Yedioth Ahronoth" pointed out that Netanyahu also canceled a scheduled stop in Texas to meet with businessman Elon Musk, and no meeting has been arranged yet with US President Donald Trump, amid efforts to hold limited meetings with foreign officials and leaders on the sidelines of the UN meetings.
According to the newspaper, Netanyahu's speech will focus mainly on the Iranian threat, and those close to him said the speech may include "surprises". The Israeli mission at the United Nations is also preparing for possible protests or boycotts during the speech, similar to what happened during Netanyahu's speech at the General Assembly last year.
Earlier reports by "Yedioth Ahronoth" said that Israeli security authorities decided not to land the "Wings of Zion" at John F. Kennedy Airport during Netanyahu's visit, due to fears of protests and arrangements related to keeping the plane on the ground throughout the visit.
