Netanyahu cuts New York visit to hours after security warnings

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shortened his upcoming visit to New York to hours and will not stay overnight after receiving security warnings, Israeli media reported Wednesday.

Channel 13 said security officials recommended against extending Netanyahu’s stay in the US following discussions in recent days, some of which the prime minister attended.

The “intelligence picture” presented during the discussions included specific warnings that prompted the recommendation to shorten the trip, it said, without disclosing the nature of the warnings.

Netanyahu is expected to leave Israel late Wednesday, arrive in New York early Thursday, address the 81st UN General Assembly and return to Israel later that day without staying overnight.

His visit comes amid expectations of protests in New York because of Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip and violations in the occupied West Bank.

The visit also comes one day after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani described Netanyahu as a “war criminal” and an “architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinians.”

Mamdani previously urged US federal authorities to enforce the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu, while acknowledging that New York City authorities lack the legal power to carry it out.

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

No meeting with Trump

Netanyahu’s shortened itinerary does not include a meeting with US President Donald Trump, despite Israeli efforts earlier to arrange talks between the two leaders.

US and Israeli media have reported that their schedules in New York do not overlap in a way that would allow a meeting, while an American official said Netanyahu is not among the leaders Trump is scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

A planned stop in the state of Texas for Netanyahu to meet businessman Elon Musk was also canceled, even though an Israeli advance team had already arrived there to prepare for the visit, according to media reports.

The cancellations mean Netanyahu’s US trip will effectively be limited to his appearance at the UN General Assembly before his return to Israel.