Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed Israel for the UN General Assembly in New York early Thursday. He is expected to arrive in the city just hours before his speech.
Several planned meetings were dropped from the schedule. A meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for example, was canceled after Rubio rushed back to Washington to take part in President Donald Trump's talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Before addressing the UN General Assembly, Netanyahu is expected to meet Slovenia's newly elected Prime Minister Janez Janša. Following the change of government in the country, Slovenia has shifted its policy toward Israel and is now regarded as one of Israel's closest friends in the European Union.
Netanyahu's speech to the UN General Assembly is expected to begin at around 2 p.m. New York time, 9 p.m. Israel time. He is expected to focus on Iran and the consequences of the war, while also addressing antisemitism and mentioning New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Another point Netanyahu is expected to raise is the demand that Hamas disarm.
During his visit, Netanyahu is expected to meet the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Panama and Ethiopia, as well as Colombia's vice president and the prime ministers of Greece, Slovenia and Papua New Guinea.
The Prime Minister's Office said that numerous world leaders had requested meetings with Netanyahu during the visit, but because of his tight schedule and the need to return to Israel before the start of Sukkot, he was able to accommodate only some of the requests.
Netanyahu is expected to leave New York for Israel as early as Thursday evening and land in Israel on Friday afternoon local time, ahead of Sukkot.
