Yediot Ahronot reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not expected to meet Donald Trump during his visit to the United States to address the United Nations General Assembly. The newspaper said that such a meeting was not on the schedule despite efforts by Netanyahu’s team.
According to the newspaper, Netanyahu will return to Israel immediately after his General Assembly speech, following a stay of only a few hours in New York. He is expected to arrive in New York on the morning of the speech, travel to the United Nations headquarters after landing at a military airfield and complete his program there. Yediot Ahronot described the visit as exceptionally short compared with Netanyahu’s trips to the United States in recent years.
Trump’s schedule in Washington
Donald Trump is scheduled to speak at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday and then return to Washington to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. This schedule, together with Netanyahu’s short visit to New York, was cited as one of the factors reducing the likelihood of a Trump-Netanyahu meeting.
Texas meeting canceled
A planned meeting between Netanyahu and businessman Elon Musk in the state of Texas was also canceled. Yediot Ahronot reported that the lack of a nonstop flight from Israel to Texas would have required a difficult itinerary involving a refueling stop within the United States.
Washington-Tel Aviv tensions
The news about the possibility of a meeting between Trump and Netanyahu was published at a time of rising tensions between Washington and Tel Aviv over how the issues involving Gaza, Lebanon and Iran were being handled.
US Vice President J. D. Vance said on Wednesday that the United States does not always agree with Israel. Vance said they could not allow US foreign policy in the Middle East to be conducted in a way that serves Israel’s interests.
Vance also said that when Trump believes the interests of the American people and those of the Israeli government diverge, he is more willing to distance himself from Netanyahu than presidents have been at any time in the past 40 years.
Israel-based private Channel 15 also reported that Netanyahu was expected to land directly at a military airfield outside New York, then travel to the United Nations headquarters to deliver his speech before returning to Israel. Neither Israel nor the United States has issued an official statement on whether Trump and Netanyahu will hold a bilateral meeting.
The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly is continuing during the 2026-2027 period, which began on September 8. The high-level general debate is scheduled to take place from September 22 to 28.
