Netanyahu defiant at UN as he seeks re-election at home

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began the year declaring that he stood “shoulder to shoulder” with US President Donald Trump as the two countries launched a war against Iran, but this week, as world leaders gathered in New York for the UN General Assembly, there were no plans for the two men to be in the same room or the same city.

As the war with Iran has dragged on, Trump and Netanyahu have split over how to prosecute it, straining a relationship between the two allies.

Netanyahu, who arrived in New York on Thursday, was to meet with only a handful of leaders before giving his speech.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the United Nations General Assembly at the agency’s headquarters in New York on Thursday.

Photo: AFP

Many in Washington associate Netanyahu with the increasingly unpopular fight with Iran, and Trump has labored to avoid the appearance that the Israeli leader forced him into a war that Trump said would be a “little excursion” lasting only weeks.

Netanyahu’s brief visit also demonstrated how isolated he is globally. He faces re-election next month in polls widely seen as a referendum on his responsibility for security failures and ability to defend Israel’s reputation on the world stage.

Still, Netanyahu was unfazed when scores of diplomats marched out when he took the stage on Thursday.

“If there are any other moral cowards who have not yet left this hall, please do so now,” Netanyahu said and delivered a speech lashing out at critics who accuse Israel of genocide and war crimes in Gaza.

Experts said that without the usual high-profile meetings, the trip could hurt Netanyahu’s image at home.

“I think the trip is a mistake, because it exposes his weaknesses,” said Eytan Gilboa, an expert on US-Israel relations.

While many Israelis view the UN as hostile toward Israel, that he could not secure a meeting with Trump highlights how poorly Netanyahu has managed the relationship with his nation’s strongest ally, he said, adding: “Israel cannot survive without the US.”