Netanyahu sharply shortens UN trip amid protests and security fears

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sharply shortened his scheduled trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, reducing a planned multi-day visit to a few hours amid heightened security concerns and expected protests.

Netanyahu is due to arrive in the US on Thursday morning, deliver his UN General Assembly address at 2 pm New York time and leave for Israel that evening without spending a night in the country, says New Arab.

He has cancelled a planned stop in Texas to meet billionaire Elon Musk and decided not to carry Israeli journalists on his official "Wing of Zion" aircraft. His plane is also scheduled to land in neighbouring New Jersey rather than at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Netanyahu is expected to receive unusually heavy security from the US Secret Service, in coordination with the New York Police Department. His brief visit comes amid anticipated street demonstrations and a potentially hostile reception inside the UN hall, where Israeli officials expect delegates to walk out during his address, as happened during his speech the previous year.

Tensions surrounding the visit also involve New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has described Netanyahu as a war criminal over Israel's military actions in Gaza and repeatedly called for his arrest under an International Criminal Court warrant.

Mamdani, who previously pledged to have Netanyahu arrested, acknowledged in July that New York City does not have independent legal authority to enforce the warrant. He urged the US federal government to join the ICC instead. Mamdani is not planning to join street protests during Netanyahu's visit.

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel and the US do not recognise ICC jurisdiction, while US President Donald Trump has said Netanyahu would not be arrested in the US.

Netanyahu is not expected to meet Trump during the trip, while a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio remains unconfirmed.

The visit comes roughly a month before Israel's general election. Netanyahu's UN speech is expected to focus heavily on Iran, addressing both international delegates and a domestic Israeli audience.

It also comes amid ongoing Israeli strikes, blockades and casualties in the Gaza Strip following the October 2025 ceasefire, with total Palestinian casualties exceeding 73,900 killed.