Newsletters
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to make one of his shortest U.S. visits this week without meeting President Donald Trump, as prediction-market trading shows former military chief Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party widening its lead over Netanyahu’s Likud, according to separate reports by The Jerusalem Post.
Netanyahu is expected to arrive in New York on Thursday morning, address the U.N. General Assembly at 2 p.m. local time and depart for Israel later the same day, potentially without spending a night in the U.S., an Israeli newspaper reported.
A meeting with Trump, which Netanyahu’s aides had sought to arrange, does not appear on the current schedule.
A senior U.S. official said Netanyahu was not among the leaders Trump was expected to meet during the General Assembly, while another said Netanyahu would arrive after Trump had already left New York.
Separately, The Jerusalem Post reported that Polymarket prediction-market contracts currently price Yashar at about 62% to finish with the most Knesset seats, compared with about 39% for Likud.
About a month earlier, the market showed Likud at 59% and Yashar at 41%, meaning the gap has reversed sharply within weeks.
Trading volume in the market has surpassed $301,000.
Polymarket figures are not public opinion polls. They reflect prices of prediction-market contracts that fluctuate with trading activity and can change quickly.
The market also measures which party is expected to win the most Knesset seats, not which candidate will ultimately form a governing coalition.
In a separate Polymarket contract on who will serve as prime minister after the election, Eisenkot was priced at about 52%-53%, compared with roughly 29% for Netanyahu.
Netanyahu’s travel plans were broader only days ago.
He had initially been expected to arrive in the U.S. on Wednesday and later travel to Texas for a meeting with Elon Musk, with a possible visit to SpaceX facilities also under consideration.
An advance Israeli team had already arrived in Texas to prepare, but officials were informed over the weekend that Netanyahu had canceled the stop.
Officials described the Texas visit as logistically complicated because Israel’s “Wing of Zion” aircraft could not fly directly from Israel to Texas without refueling, and some delegation members might have needed to travel separately on commercial flights. There was no indication, however, that logistics caused the cancellation.
The shortened itinerary now centers primarily on Netanyahu’s U.N. speech.
Trump is expected to address the General Assembly on Tuesday and hold meetings with foreign leaders before returning to Washington.
A summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected Thursday, with Iran, trade, Taiwan and artificial intelligence among the anticipated topics.
Under the current schedules, Trump is expected to be in Washington while Netanyahu addresses the U.N. in New York.
The most senior U.S. official Netanyahu is currently expected to meet is Secretary of State Marco Rubio, although the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said the final schedule has not been completed.
Israeli officials have also explored possible meetings with Gulf leaders, but none were known to have been finalized.
Iran, the broader Middle East conflict and the war in Gaza are expected to feature prominently during Netanyahu’s visit and the wider U.N. General Assembly, which is expected to draw nearly 130 heads of state and government.
Trump is expected to discuss Iran both in his speech and during meetings with Gulf leaders.
Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said Netanyahu could face protests inside the General Assembly hall after representatives walked out during his speech last year. Demonstrations against Netanyahu are also expected outside the U.N. compound, alongside pro-Israel events.
New York has deployed thousands of police officers alongside the Secret Service and other security agencies for General Assembly week. U.S. security officials said there was no known specific threat to the gathering, though security around the U.N. compound and major routes has been strengthened.
The visit also comes amid criticism of Netanyahu from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who previously raised the possibility of acting on an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant before acknowledging that any action would have to comply with U.S. law. The U.S. is not a member of the ICC.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
1 min read
