Netanyahu to use UN speech as campaign address, targeting NYC Mayor Mamdani
Israeli PM plans to berate New York's mayor at the UN while skipping Trump meeting ahead of elections.
What to know
- Netanyahu will use his Thursday UN address to attack NYC Mayor Mamdani, who called him a war criminal—analysts say the speech targets Israeli voters ahead of elections five weeks away, not the international community.
- The PM's absence of a planned meeting with Trump signals a diplomatic distance that could harm his electoral prospects as Israelis question Trump's commitment to Israeli security following a US-Iran ceasefire Netanyahu opposed.
- Netanyahu faces a general election amid mounting criticism of his Gaza war policies and political isolation, with his leading rival Gadi Eisenkot potentially benefiting from moderates wavering in their support.
“A lack of any encounter with the president, a month before an Israeli election, will indicate that Trump is keeping a distance from him and will be negative for Netanyahu's campaign”
Nimrod Goren, President, Mitvim think tank · Straits Times / Reuters ↗ · Sep 23
Benjamin Netanyahu Israeli Prime Minister
Zohran Mamdani New York City MayorMichael Oren Former Israeli AmbassadorNimrod Goren President, Mitvim think tank
Gadi Eisenkot Former Israeli military chief, Netanyahu's leading electoral rival
How it unfolded 0 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump
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Netanyahu delivers UN address; skips Trump meeting — Netanyahu arrives in New York early Thursday and is expected to fly back the same day after his UN speech. He will not meet with Trump, marking a significant distance between the two leaders a month before Israeli elections. He is scheduled to meet leaders from Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Panama, Ethiopia, Colombia, Greece, Slovenia, and Papua New Guinea, with potential meetings with Secretary of State Marco Rubio still unconfirmed.
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Analysts characterize Netanyahu's UN speech as domestic campaign tool — Former Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren and Nimrod Goren of Mitvim think tank both interpret Netanyahu's UN appearance as directed at Israeli voters rather than the international community, designed to bolster his electoral prospects ahead of a general election five weeks away amid criticism of his Gaza war policies.
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Mamdani describes Netanyahu as architect of genocide against Palestinians — New York's mayor escalates rhetoric in response, characterizing Netanyahu's policies in Gaza as genocidal, intensifying the public feud between the two leaders.
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Netanyahu records video addressing Mamdani, announces UN speech plan — Netanyahu directly addresses the mayor in a video statement, saying he will go to New York "to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers" and "to tell the truth about you," while falsely accusing Mamdani of supporting Hamas militants.
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Netanyahu and Trump jointly launch war on Iran — The two leaders coordinated military action against Iran, but subsequently diverged over policy when the US and Iran agreed to an interim ceasefire that Netanyahu opposed.
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Zohran Mamdani takes office as New York City Mayor — Mamdani campaigned on a promise to arrest Netanyahu for alleged war crimes should he visit New York, though he later determined he lacked the legal authority to do so.