With the weeklong Sukkot holiday in Israel in full swing, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left Israel on Tuesday to address the U.N. General Assembly in New York and meet world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump.
Netanyahu arrived in New York after addresses to the United Nations by Trump and by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Netanyahu is scheduled to address the world body at approximately 1 p.m. EST (8 p.m. Israel time) on Thursday afternoon, just minutes after Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, and then is scheduled to meet with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.
The day before his address, Netanyahu will discuss Iran’s nuclear ambitions and Tehran’s entrenchment in Syria, as well as a proposed peace initiative that the United States is planning on publicizing in the coming weeks.
He is also expected to meet with leaders of France, Poland, Austria, Guatemala and Rwanda. Reports similarly indicate that Netanyahu will meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, though the Prime Minister’s Office has not publicly confirmed the meeting.
On Friday, Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and several American Jewish leaders.
Abbas’s aides have reported that the Palestinian leader would make a dramatic announcement during his speech at the United Nations. The day before his speech, Abbas will be hosting a conference on the sidelines of the General Assembly—expected to be attended by representatives of 40 countries—in opposition of the U.S. peace initiative.
