Netanyahu to Address UN General Assembly

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to travel to the United States later this month to deliver an address to the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 27, his office announced on Sunday.

The Israeli premier is slated to leave for New York on Sept. 24 for meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the event, according to the statement.

Netanyahu is to address the 79th Session of the U.N. General Assembly three days later, on Friday afternoon, and fly back the next Sunday.

Israel is girding for a high-stakes diplomatic confrontation at the United Nations, as the Palestinian Authority pushes for sweeping measures against the Jewish state, including calls for an arms embargo and sanctions.

Jerusalem has reportedly crafted a series of escalating countermeasures, from freezing funds to cutting security ties with Ramallah, should the General Assembly vote to adopt the proposed anti-Israel resolutions.

As high-level diplomatic consultations unfold, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has directed his team to draw up measures against the P.A. If it follows through on its threats and violates the Oslo Accords, Jerusalem won’t hesitate to “go all the way,” diplomatic sources have warned.

According to a report by Israel’s Channel 12 News on Sept. 8, Ramallah has circulated a draft resolution asking the General Assembly to urge Jerusalem to withdraw from Judea and Samaria and remove some 500,000 Israeli citizens living in the territory within six months.