JERUSALEM, Israel โ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to New York next week for a brief visit to address the United Nations General Assembly, setting up another closely watched appearance amid expectations of major protests and renewed controversy involving New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Netanyahu is scheduled to leave Israel on Wednesday, September 23, deliver his address to the General Assembly on Thursday, September 24, and return to Israel on September 25, according to a Prime Minister’s Office source cited by The Times of Israel.
Whether Netanyahu will meet U.S. President Donald Trump during the visit has not been announced. The two leaders last met in July.
The visit is expected to place Israel at the center of both international diplomacy inside the United Nations and political confrontation on the streets of New York.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said the Israeli mission expects “intense” demonstrations surrounding Netanyahu’s appearance.
The anticipated protests take on additional significance because of Mamdani’s previous statements about Netanyahu and the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
Mamdani Controversy Follows Netanyahu To New York
Mamdani has been one of Netanyahu’s most outspoken American political critics.
He previously said he would seek Netanyahu’s arrest if the Israeli prime minister came to New York, citing the ICC warrant issued against Netanyahu in November 2024.
Mamdani subsequently acknowledged that the mayor of New York does not have the legal authority to order Netanyahu’s arrest under the ICC warrant. He has instead called on the U.S. federal government to act.
The United States is not an ICC member and has rejected the court’s action against Netanyahu. Israel is also not an ICC member and has rejected the allegations underlying the warrant.
The Trump administration has imposed sanctions against ICC personnel as part of its opposition to the court’s actions involving Israel.
Mamdani has also supported demonstrations surrounding Netanyahu’s upcoming visit.
Danon accused the mayor of contributing to tensions ahead of the UN gathering.
“Mayor Mamdani, instead of uniting the city and making sure that it would be a smooth high-level week, he’s doing exactly the opposite by inciting and calling for people to demonstrate,” Danon told The Times of Israel.
Mamdani’s criticism does not alter the federal and international security arrangements surrounding the UN General Assembly.
The New York Police Department is expected to play a significant role in security and crowd management during Netanyahu’s visit, including dignitary protection and policing demonstrations.
Another Contentious UN Appearance
Netanyahu’s speeches before the General Assembly have regularly attracted international attention and protests.
His September 2025 address was accompanied by large demonstrations in New York, while numerous delegates walked out of the General Assembly hall as he began speaking.
Danon said he expects another visible protest inside the UN this year.
“I expect that there will be something like another show,” he said, referring to the reaction Netanyahu could encounter during his address.
Netanyahu nevertheless intends to appear personally.
Danon has argued that the political opposition surrounding the visit makes Netanyahu’s presence more important, not less.
“For us, it’s important the prime minister will come,” he said.
The visit will be unusually brief.
Danon previously said Netanyahu was expected to arrive in New York late on September 23, address the General Assembly on the afternoon of September 24 and depart that night. A later report citing a Prime Minister’s Office source said Netanyahu would return on September 25.
Trump Meeting Remains Unconfirmed
One unanswered question is whether Netanyahu’s schedule will include another meeting with Trump.
No such meeting had been announced as of September 14.
A Trump-Netanyahu meeting would add another significant diplomatic element to a visit already attracting attention well beyond the General Assembly.
The UN’s annual high-level week begins September 22, bringing heads of state and government from around the world to New York. Netanyahu is scheduled to speak two days later.
For Israel, the address provides Netanyahu with one of the world’s most prominent diplomatic platforms.
Outside the chamber, however, his arrival is expected to expose the increasingly sharp divide over Israel within New York itself.
The result will be a September 24 address unfolding on two stages: Netanyahu making Israel’s case before the international community inside the United Nations, while demonstrators and counterdemonstrators are expected to make theirs on the streets outside.
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