Netanyahu turned the UN into campaign theater – but will Israelis buy the show?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to New York on Wednesday with the intention of creating a campaign image for Israel's upcoming election, but he couldn't arrange a meeting with US President Donald Trump. The UN podium was one image he could achieve, speaking before a green marble backdrop in flawless English, yet the Trump meeting proved elusive.

Trump was set to be in Washington with Chinese President Xi Jinping, leaving Netanyahu with a tight schedule to return to Israel before the Jewish holiday of Sukkot began.

Unlike previous leaders, such as Ariel Sharon, who typically left foreign trips early on Shabbat, Netanyahu often remained abroad on the Jewish Sabbath, as he did this time. While some might view this as a snub, Netanyahu's team emphasized that the UN photograph was the more valuable of the two for the campaign. Netanyahu has addressed the UN General Assembly 15 times as prime minister, each speech tailored for a specific audience – diplomats, the international public, or the Israeli public.

In 2012, he used the podium to reach international public opinion directly, a technique that proved effective just weeks before a US presidential election.

In the current campaign, Netanyahu's UN speech is seen as a powerful tool for diplomatic purposes, while the Trump photograph may carry less weight. Trump's approval among the Israeli public has significantly decreased, with a July poll showing only 28% of Israelis believing his security considerations were a top priority. As a result, the political value of another handshake with Trump might be diminished compared to Netanyahu's previous UN addresses.