Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in New York for the UN General Assembly. His schedule is unusually short - he is expected to stay in the US for less than eight hours before returning to Israel, BTA reports.
Netanyahu's office does not indicate meetings with US President Donald Trump or Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Such contacts are not included in the prime minister's official program during his visit.
For comparison, Netanyahu's visit to New York last year lasted about a week and included a meeting with Trump. According to “Reuters“ The current short visit comes amid tensions between Washington and the Israeli government.
During his stay, Netanyahu will hold talks with the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Panama and Ethiopia, as well as the vice president of Colombia and the prime ministers of Greece, Slovenia and Papua New Guinea. According to his office, a number of other world leaders have also requested meetings, but their busy schedules have prevented them all from taking place.
The main focus of the visit is his speech to the UN General Assembly. Netanyahu has said in advance that he will defend Israel's actions and respond to criticism of the country.
After his speech, the Israeli prime minister will travel back to his country before the start of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.