Israel’s NY consulate briefly closed for 2nd time in 4 days over threat

The Israeli consulate in New York City was briefly closed Monday with employees barred from leaving the premises, after an envelope with white powder was sent to the building along with a direct threat on the life of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a senior official told the Times of Israel.

The substance was eventually determined to be harmless.

It was the second such threat sent to the building in four days.

The incident happened shortly after Netanyahu concluded a meeting with US President Donald Trump in New York and returned to his hotel room.

The workers were waiting for the arrival of an NYPD sapper to check the envelope.

Consul-General Dani Dayan was not in the building at the time.

On Friday, the consulate was briefly shut and employees barred from leaving the premises after an envelope with white powder was sent to the building along with a direct threat on Netanyahu’s life.

Local security forces examined the envelope’s contents and once it was clear that the substance was not harmful, workers were allowed out of the building, which houses Israel’s New York consulate and its UN mission.

Netanyahu met with Trump after a joint photo op, during which he urged the US president to address the “terrible” nuclear deal with Iran and called on the world to confront Tehran’s conventional aggression in the region.

Trump, meanwhile, barely mentioned Iran at their joint appearance, instead reiterating his desire to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal and telling the visiting Netanyahu there was a “good chance” such an accord could happen.