Bennett en route to NYC to address UN General Assembly

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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is en route to New York City where he will address the General Assembly of the United Nations on Monday at 09:00 AM (EST).

Just before boarding an outbound flight late Saturday night, Bennett told the media he “is very happy for the opportunity to bring the voice of Israel, of Israelis” to the UNGA, “an important international stage.” The premier characterized his address as “an opportunity to tell our story, Israel’s role, the special spirit of Israelis and our contribution to the world.”

In his pre-departure statement, the premier also related to the two core issues of Iran and the Palestinians, saying that “We [Israel] do not define ourselves by others, neither by Iran nor the Palestinians, and in general – I call on their leaders to engage with their people, to improve their situation, and to stop obsessing over the State of Israel.”

Bennett is scheduled to meet the foreign ministers of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.

During his visit, Bennett will also meet with the U.S. ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, as well as with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and representatives of the Jewish community.

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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.Ohad Zwigenberg Ohad Zwigenberg

This is Bennett’s first speech at the UN, and he intends to use it to send a message to the international community and the domestic audience in Israel. According to the Israeli government’s coalition agreements, Bennett will address the General Assembly in September 2022, before handing over the reins to Yair Lapid.

The premier’s trip to the United States comes after the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a stand-alone bill providing $1 billion in emergency funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system on Thursday, just days after progressive Democrats successfully managed to get it removed from a stopgap spending bill.

Before departing for the States, the premier described Thursday’s vote as a “sweeping victory,” noting that “We have seen that in the moment of truth, the representatives of the American people support sweeping support for Israel, 420 vs. 9. As for the progressive Democrats, he said “There is a small, anti-Israel group that makes a lot of noise, but these guys have failed.”