Netanyahu again delays flight to US for UN General Assembly speech

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara exit the official Wing of Zion plane in Washington, DC, on July 22, 2024. (Amos Ben Gershom / GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara exit the official Wing of Zion plane in Washington, DC, on July 22, 2024. (Amos Ben Gershom / GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to New York for the UN General Assembly has again been delayed, his office says.

The premier will fly to the US tomorrow and will return to Israel on Saturday night. He will be accompanied on the trip by his wife Sara.

“The prime minister will hold consultations today with the security establishment to discuss the continuation of strikes in Lebanon,” the PMO’s statement reads, shortly after Hezbollah fired a surface-to-surface missile at Tel Aviv.

An unnamed senior official in the government sharply criticizes the prime minister’s decision to fly to the US during intensified fighting on Israel’s northern border, saying the speech could be delegated to the foreign minister or an envoy.

“This is reckless and irresponsible,” the anonymous official tells Channel 12 news.

It was unclear when Netanyahu was set to address the gathering of global leaders.

An Israeli official told The Times of Israel yesterday that Netanyahu was set to speak at the UN on Thursday after he was initially slated to speak on Friday and remain in New York for the Jewish Sabbath. By moving the speech to Thursday, he would have been able to return to Israel on Friday.

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