Gaza Genocide · updated 36m ago · 3 min read
Netanyahu Shifts New York Plans After Mamdani Fears, UNGA Speech Set
Prime Minister Netanyahu to make a brief US trip to address the UN General Assembly. Wings of Zion lands at a New Jersey base, not NYC, for a brief visit.
Whether the core story is protest or logistics.
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www.ynetnews › article
“Netanyahu will depart Wednesday for a brief visit to the United States”Read the original ↗
Religion News Service foregrounds Jewish-led mourning and protest amid UN timing, while other outlets prioritise Netanyahu’s itinerary and Mamdani’s legal limi…
Netanyahu’s UNGA trip
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing a brief visit to the United States to deliver a speech before the United Nations General Assembly, with Yedioth Ahronoth saying his plane will arrive on Thursday morning and his speech will begin at 2:00 p.m. New York time.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Netanyahu’s plane will not land at John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Israeli security sources said the plan shifted to a military airport in New Jersey or Newark Airport due to “difficulties coordinating with American authorities and fears that Mayor Mamdani may order an immediate takeoff.”
The reports said Netanyahu will stay in New York for only a few hours, will not spend the night there, and will return to Israel in the evening, while the Israeli delegation prepares for possible provocations during the speech.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, including using starvation as a weapon of war and killings, oppression, and other acts described by the court as inhumane.
The sources also tied the visit to the Gaza war’s wider timeline, saying a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip was reached in October after more than two years of a genocide Israel began in October 2023 with American support, leaving over 73,000 martyrs and more than 174,000 Palestinian wounded.
Mamdani, Trump, and protests
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told CNN that he does not have the legal authority to execute the ICC’s arrest warrant, and he urged the federal government to join the International Criminal Court and execute the warrant. Mamdani said, “I do believe that that is something that should be honored,” and he added that “If the International Criminal Court deems someone worthy of an arrest because of a violation of those laws, then who are we to say that anyone should be above that?” Trump praised Mamdani after a “friendly” meeting, and Trump told Mamdani, “I hope you will be a great mayor... and I know you will be.”
Mamdani renewed his call for respecting the ICC arrest warrant in an interview with CNN, describing Netanyahu as a “war criminal and architect of genocide against the Palestinian people,” while acknowledging New York City authorities do not have the authority to enforce the warrant. Mamdani confirmed his support for implementing the ICC arrest warrant but acknowledged the city’s authorities do not have the power to execute it, and Mamdani affirmed New York residents’ right to protest while the city would protect their constitutional right to demonstrate.
Security and diplomatic fallout
Israeli officials expected heightened security preparations in New York for the General Assembly week, with The Jerusalem Post saying thousands of police officers were being deployed across the city alongside the Secret Service and other security agencies. Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, estimated that protests would take place during Netanyahu’s speech, after many representatives walked out of the hall as Netanyahu began speaking last year. Netanyahu is expected to arrive in New York on Thursday morning, deliver his speech at 2 p.m. local time, and leave the United States shortly thereafter, meaning he might not spend a night on U.S. soil.
The most senior U.S. official Netanyahu is expected to meet would be Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while Netanyahu is not among the world leaders scheduled to meet Trump on the sidelines of the General Assembly. The visit comes during the 81st session of the General Assembly from September 22 to 28 at the United Nations headquarters in New York, and Netanyahu’s speech before the General Assembly constitutes the main axis of the visit amid expectations of protests in New York in light of Mamdani’s statements about the ICC arrest warrant.