Netanyahu won’t meet Trump during ‘brief’ UN visit: Israeli media

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make a "brief” visit to New York to address the UN General Assembly in a speech aimed at courting Israeli voters before returning without meeting US President Donald Trump, the daily Haaretz said on Tuesday.

Netanyahu's speech will primarily target voters in Israel, about a month before Knesset elections, as he is expected to face a "hostile reception" in New York, the newspaper said.

Netanyahu is scheduled to leave for the US on Wednesday and return to Israel hours after delivering his speech.

"Netanyahu was unable to arrange a meeting with US President Donald Trump or senior members of his administration, and it remains unclear whether he will meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio," Haaretz said.

It described Netanyahu's meeting schedule as "particularly sparse," saying it includes only two meetings on the sidelines of the General Assembly with leaders it considers "supporters of Israel," without providing further details.

Netanyahu's UN address is "a campaign speech aimed primarily at potential voters in Israel," Haaretz said, citing an unnamed source familiar with preparations for the visit.

The speech comes about a month before the Oct. 27 Knesset elections.

Netanyahu is tentatively scheduled to deliver his speech Thursday at around 9 p.m. Israel time (1800GMT), coinciding with prime-time viewing in the country.

He will leave for Israel hours after the speech in an effort to arrive before the Jewish holiday of Sukkot begins Friday evening, according to the newspaper.

Another unnamed source familiar with Netanyahu’s speech said it will focus on "the war with Iran and close cooperation with the US president."

Hostile reception

Exceptional security measures will accompany Netanyahu during his visit to New York amid planned protests in the city.

Haaretz said Netanyahu is expected to face a "hostile reception" in the streets and inside the General Assembly hall before taking the podium.

“Ambassadors and members of diplomatic delegations may leave the hall, shout interruptions or raise signs condemning him,” it added.

“New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who previously called for Netanyahu to be arrested upon arriving in the city because of the international arrest warrant issued against him, made clear that he would not personally join the protesters,” the paper said.

Mamdani said in July that he did not have the legal authority to enforce the arrest warrant against Netanyahu if he visited the city for the UN General Assembly meetings, calling on the federal government to take such action.

In a video posted on US social media company X, Mamdani said Netanyahu is accused of war crimes and held him responsible for the genocide that has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

He also cited the targeting of children and hospitals in Gaza, restrictions on food supplies and the killing of humanitarian workers and journalists.

"We, as Americans, pay for the bombs that do the killing," Mamdani said.

Netanyahu has been wanted by the International Criminal Court since 2024 over accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against Palestinians in Gaza.