Netanyahu takes UN stage with one eye on Israel’s election

As criticism of Israel intensifies, Israeli PM Netanyahu heads to the UN with his own political future in focus. When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu takes to his feet at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York later on Thursday, he does so at a critical point in both his political career and in his country’s long and fractious relationship with the international body. Israel has faced repeated accusations of genocide at the UN, as well as systematic war crimes in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Those criticisms continue to shape the country’s fractious relationship with the body. For Netanyahu, appearing in front of the UNGA for the 15th time, the stakes have rarely been higher. Addressing a domestic Israeli audience that polls show to be losing faith in him and his Likud party in the run-up to crucial elections later this year, Netanyahu has already pitched himself as Israel’s primary voice on the international stage. Nevertheless, analysts say Netanyahu’s address could prove a pivotal moment domestically, amplified by international criticism of Israel and expected to dominate headlines and be carried live across the country’s television networks. “This is a regular fixture for him,” former Israeli consul general in New York and ex-government adviser, Alon Pinkas, told Al Jazeera.

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