Tel Aviv - The Israeli government has made preparations to dispatch a high-ranking delegation to the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York City, as reported by the Tazpit Press Service.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to hold a meeting with US President Joe Biden during the opening session of the General Assembly.
Netanyahu's delegation is anticipated to comprise prominent figures including Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, Health and Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, Minister of Environmental Protection Idit Silman, and Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog.
Idit Silman is slated to participate in a climate-related event on Tuesday, while Moshe Arbel will be engaged in a pandemic preparedness meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, in addition to meetings focusing on universal health coverage and tuberculosis. However, TPS was unable to confirm their exact schedules.
Netanyahu is currently scheduled to address the international assembly on Thursday afternoon in New York, which falls well outside the prime-time Israeli television window he reportedly prefers. Reports indicate that he is endeavoring to reschedule to a pre-Shabbat slot in Israel, specifically on Friday morning in New York.
There has been considerable discussion about the absence of a formal White House invitation for Netanyahu to visit the Oval Office. A senior Israeli official assured TPS that such a meeting between Biden and Netanyahu is in the works but scheduling constraints have prevented it from happening next week.
The official stated that the meeting will take place during the fall, with Netanyahu consistently asserting that Biden invited him to visit during a July phone call.
The White House, however, has not provided clear details about the meeting location, leading to speculation that a less formal meeting may only occur on the sidelines of the U.N. event.
In the meantime, the Prime Minister's Office and Israel's diplomatic press corps have resolved a potential media boycott of Netanyahu's trip. Journalists accompanying Netanyahu will now be able to return to Israel on the same flight as the Prime Minister.
Initially, concerns arose when journalists were informed that they would not be able to travel back with the Prime Minister, which is customary. The Prime Minister's Office cited the urgency of Netanyahu's departure from the US after the Sabbath and the necessity of arriving in Israel before the commencement of the Yom Kippur holiday.
Netanyahu is set to depart for the US on Sunday evening immediately following the conclusion of Rosh Hashanah and will arrive in San Francisco the following day. During his visit, he is expected to tour Silicon Valley and meet with Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly known as Twitter), as part of his engagement with the tech industry.