Netanyahu set for one of shortest US trips, to make UN speech with no meeting with Trump

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to make one of his shortest visits to the United States, arriving in New York Thursday morning, addressing the United Nations General Assembly at 2 p.m. local time (9 p.m. Israel time), and departing for Israel shortly afterward.

Under the latest plan, the prime minister may not spend a single night in the United States.

The schedule has undergone several changes in recent days. At an earlier stage, Netanyahu was expected to arrive in the US as early as Wednesday, and a stop in Texas was later added, where a meeting with Elon Musk had been planned.

An advance team on Netanyahu's behalf had already arrived in the state and begun preparations for the visit and meeting, with a possible visit to SpaceX facilities also under consideration. Over the weekend, the team was informed that the visit had been canceled. According to Israeli officials, Netanyahu canceled the Texas stop.

The cancellation significantly shortened the trip, which will now be devoted mostly to Netanyahu's address to the General Assembly. He is expected to arrive in New York on the day of the speech itself and leave the city later that same day.

The Texas stop also presented logistical complications. Officials described it as a "complex event," in part because "Wing of Zion" cannot fly from Israel to Texas without a refueling stop. Some members of the delegation might also have been required to travel separately on commercial flights. However, there was no indication that the logistical difficulty was the reason Netanyahu decided to cancel the visit.

A meeting with US President Donald Trump, which Netanyahu's aides had sought to arrange, is also not planned under the current schedule. A senior US official said Netanyahu was not among the leaders Trump was expected to meet on the sidelines of the General Assembly. According to another US official, Netanyahu is expected to arrive in New York only after Trump has already left the city.

Trump, Netanyahu schedules do not overlap under current plans

Efforts to arrange a meeting between the two continued even as the planned visit broadened. According to the schedules currently known, their stays in New York will not overlap.

Trump is expected to be in New York at the beginning of the week and address the General Assembly on Tuesday. During his stay, he is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with foreign leaders, after which the focus will shift to Washington, where a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected on Thursday.

Iran, trade between the two powers, Taiwan, and artificial intelligence are expected to be among the issues on the agenda. When Netanyahu takes the UN podium in New York on Thursday, Trump is expected to be in Washington.

Barring a last-minute change, the most senior US official Netanyahu is expected to meet will be Secretary of State Marco Rubio. A meeting between the two is planned, although the Prime Minister's Office stressed that the final schedule for the visit has not yet been finalized. Rubio is already in New York and is holding diplomatic meetings as part of UN General Assembly week.

Alongside contacts with the US administration, Israeli officials also sought to explore the possibility of meetings with leaders from Gulf states. At this stage, no such meetings are known to have been finalized, and the shortened stay in New York further narrows the window for bilateral meetings.

Trump himself is expected to meet leaders from Gulf states during General Assembly week, with Iran and the regional situation expected to be central topics in the talks.

Netanyahu's speech will take place during an especially busy diplomatic week, with Iran and the wars in the Middle East at the center of the agenda. Nearly 130 heads of state and government are expected to attend the General Assembly.

Trump is expected to address Iran in his speech and in his discussions with Gulf leaders. Iran, the regional situation and the war in Gaza are also expected to feature in the Israeli delegation's diplomatic contacts during the visit.

Netanyahu is also expected to face a hostile reception inside the General Assembly hall. Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, estimated that protests would take place during the speech, after many representatives walked out of the hall as Netanyahu began speaking last year. Demonstrations against the prime minister are expected outside the UN compound, alongside pro-Israel events.

New York is already carrying out broad security preparations ahead of General Assembly week. Thousands of police officers are being deployed across the city alongside the Secret Service and other security agencies as part of the operation to protect dozens of leaders and delegations.

No specific threat known against General Assembly, US security officials say

Local security officials said that, as of now, there is no known specific threat against the General Assembly, but security around the UN compound and major traffic routes has been significantly reinforced.

The visit also comes against the backdrop of sharp statements by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani against Netanyahu. Mamdani has previously raised the possibility of acting on the basis of the arrest warrant issued against the prime minister by the International Criminal Court, but later clarified that any action would be subject to US law. The United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court.

Danon has previously said that Mamdani's remarks make Netanyahu's arrival in New York all the more important.

The plan that initially guided preparations for the visit looked different only a few days ago. The Texas stop and meeting with Musk have been removed, and a meeting with Trump does not appear on the schedule.

Unless there is another change, Netanyahu is expected to conclude one of his shortest visits to the United States on the same day he arrives, possibly without spending even a single night in the country.