Netanyahu delays UN speech to discuss 'significant' regional developments
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to fly out Thursday but will now only do so next week
Official source says delay meant to allow Netanyahu to first discuss matters
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed his departure for the United Nations General Assembly in New York to discuss "significant" regional developments, an Israeli official said.
The team had been scheduled to fly out Thursday but will now do so next week, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official did not provide any further details on the nature of the developments or who Netanyahu would be meeting with.
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu may meet with US President Donald Trump, who is also scheduled to speak at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
In his address to the UN General Assemblys 78th session, Netanyahu is expected to focus on Middle East issues, including normalization with Arab countries.
Last year, Israel signed normalization agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. Netanyahu has said that he believes more Arab countries will follow suit in the coming months.
Netanyahu is also expected to discuss the Iranian nuclear program. Israel strongly opposes a return to the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, which Netanyahu says is "a disaster" for the region.
Netanyahu's speech comes at a time of heightened tensions in the region. In recent weeks, there have been a number of rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel, and Israel has responded with airstrikes.
The United Nations has called for an end to the violence and urged both sides to exercise restraint.
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