Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to use his address to the United Nations on Thursday to attack New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani over his criticism of Israel’s Gaza war, highlighting the Israeli leader’s growing international isolation ahead of an election that could end his long tenure in power.
Netanyahu, who rejects allegations of war crimes, is making his first visit to New York since Mamdani took office in January. Israelis opposed to Netanyahu’s right-wing government are planning protests in the city.
In a video statement this week, Netanyahu addressed Mamdani directly, saying he was travelling to New York “to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers” and “to tell the truth about you”. He also accused Mamdani of supporting Hamas, an allegation Mamdani has rejected.
Mamdani campaigned for mayor on a pledge to have Netanyahu arrested for alleged war crimes if he visited New York, but later said he had determined that he lacked the legal authority to do so. This week, Mamdani described Netanyahu as “the architect of a horrific genocide against Palestinians”.
Netanyahu’s UN appearance comes about five weeks before Israel’s general election, with opinion polls indicating that his Likud-led government faces a strong challenge. The election campaign is unfolding amid criticism of Israel’s conduct of the Gaza war and without a planned meeting between Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.
“He’s not really speaking to the UN, he’s speaking to the Israeli public,” said former Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, who expects Netanyahu’s address to resemble a “campaign speech”.
“Maybe he’s thinking, ‘If I can attack Mamdani and attack the Iranians, somebody who was wavering between voting for me and voting for (Gadi) Eisenkot may decide to vote for me,’” Oren said, referring to former military chief Eisenkot, one of Netanyahu’s leading rivals.
Netanyahu is making an unusually brief visit to the United States for his UN address. After arriving early on Thursday, he is expected to leave the same day following his afternoon speech.
According to Netanyahu’s office, he is scheduled to meet 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.
His office did not say whether he had meetings planned with US officials. Two Israeli officials said earlier that Netanyahu’s team was discussing possible meetings with senior US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but that no meetings had been finalised.
Notably, Netanyahu is not expected to meet Trump. The two leaders jointly launched a war against Iran on February 28 but later fell out over an interim ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran that Netanyahu opposed.
Many Israelis criticised the agreement, while opinion polls showed concerns about Trump’s commitment to Israel’s security, despite his administration continuing to approve billions of dollars in arms sales to Israel.
“A lack of any encounter with the president, a month before an Israeli election, will indicate that Trump is keeping a distance from him and will be negative for Netanyahu’s campaign,” said Nimrod Goren, president of Mitvim, an Israeli foreign-policy think tank.
The election is scheduled for October 27.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has frequently used his UN appearances to make highly visual presentations, including charts and diagrams warning about Iran’s nuclear programme. Tehran says its nuclear programme is intended for civilian purposes.
Last year, several delegations walked out as Netanyahu approached the lectern, while his supporters in the gallery applauded.
Goren said Netanyahu’s speech would likely follow a familiar pattern, with the Israeli leader defending his government’s actions, confronting its critics and warning about Iran while arguing that Israel’s opposition to Tehran serves the interests of the broader international community.
He is also expected to highlight what he considers his own achievements and his close relationship with Trump and the United States, Goren said.
Israel has faced increasing diplomatic isolation since launching its war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attacks on Israel nearly three years ago.
Netanyahu is also unable to travel to many countries because of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued in 2024 against him and his defence minister, as well as a Hamas leader.
Earlier this month, Britain, France and Canada, previously among Israel’s steadfast allies, announced sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Washington responded only mutedly to the measures.