Netanyahu's UN Speech: Between International Messages and Electoral Stakes

According to officials in the Trump administration, the meeting is not being held due to scheduling constraints, while another US official indicated that Netanyahu's presence in New York would be extremely limited due to the upcoming Israeli elections.

A high-ranking US official told The Jerusalem Post that the latest schedule he reviewed indicates Netanyahu's arrival in New York after Trump's departure.

According to circulating data, Trump arrives in New York on Monday and leaves Tuesday evening, while Netanyahu delivers his speech to the General Assembly on Thursday, at a time described as suitable for "prime time" broadcasting within Israel, reinforcing the impression that the speech is largely aimed at the Israeli voter, in addition to addressing the international community.

In the event that the meeting with Trump does not take place, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be the highest-ranking US official to meet with Netanyahu during the visit.

Netanyahu's visit comes amid internal Israeli debate regarding the speech he will deliver in New York, especially in light of the narrative he promotes regarding the war with Iran, presenting it as a war aimed at "saving Israel from annihilation" by targeting the Iranian nuclear program.

Conversely, reports quoted a senior Israeli official familiar with intelligence regarding the Iranian nuclear program as saying that Netanyahu's statements about Iran "already possessing atomic bombs" are not based, according to his assessment, on available intelligence data, describing them as "hysterical nonsense."

The official, described as one of Israel's top military intelligence officers, was quoted as saying that Iran does not possess aircraft, ships, or submarines capable or qualified to carry a nuclear weapon, "not today and not in ten years."

On the other hand, Netanyahu has avoided in his recent speeches focusing on the price Israel paid during the war with Iran, which resulted, according to the data provided, in the death of 29 people and the injury of thousands of civilians, including nine dead and about 51 injured in the city of Beit Shemesh.

Economically, data indicated a decline in GDP, with the annual growth rate falling by 3.3% during the first quarter of 2026.

In his latest campaign speech before the Likud party conference, Netanyahu practically admitted that the war's goals have not been completed, calling for continued operations, saying: "We must complete the mission to the end; the Iranian regime must be toppled, this is my directive and our supreme mission, as well as eliminating Hezbollah and Hamas."

Netanyahu's visit to New York comes amid tension with the city's mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who had previously raised the possibility of taking action based on the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Netanyahu, before clarifying that any step would be subject to US law, at a time when the United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court.

In a related context, reports indicated that Netanyahu might add a stop in Texas, where the possibility of him meeting Elon Musk and visiting SpaceX facilities is being discussed, a move that carries economic and technological dimensions and aligns with his attempts to boost his electoral agenda and highlight his relationships in the fields of technology and economy.

According to The Jerusalem Post, arrangements for the Texas stop are still under discussion, especially since Netanyahu's visit to the United States is scheduled to last only two days before his return to Israel on the eve of the Sukkot holiday.

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings, Trump is scheduled to meet with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman, to hear their positions on regional developments before making future decisions regarding Iran.

Conversely, senior Iranian officials will participate in the General Assembly meetings, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, after the US administration allowed them to enter the United States to participate in the Assembly's work, while imposing restrictions on their movements.

Netanyahu's visit to New York, in light of the approaching Israeli elections and the absence of a planned meeting with Trump, reflects a clear overlap between diplomacy and domestic politics, as the Israeli Prime Minister seeks to strengthen his political image and present himself as a leader who led Israel in the face of the Iranian threat.

At the same time, the debate within Israel remains regarding the extent to which Netanyahu's political discourse on the Iranian nuclear program matches the circulating intelligence assessments, at a time when the US administration continues to manage the files of Iran, Gaza, the Gulf, and Lebanon with intertwined regional and international calculations.