Benjamin Netanyahu Becoming Increasingly Isolated
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must face the bitter reality that he has become a leader isolated from much of the world. His speech before the UN General Assembly on 24 September met with widespread rejection, culminating in a mass walk-out by numerous delegations, including Indonesia.
Even more distressing is the fact that he now faces a reality where even Western nations, including the United States, are reluctant to reach agreements with him. Typically, during the annual UN events in New York, Netanyahu’s itinerary in the US includes a series of political and bilateral meetings with world leaders, particularly those from the US.
However, this year he faced an embarrassing reality, not only for himself but also for Israel, by being unable to meet with US President Donald Trump. “Netanyahu can indeed meet with the leaders of Argentina and Greece, but he cannot meet with any US politicians or government officials. This means it is not just Europe distancing itself from him, but also America,” said Alon Livel, former Director-General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as reported by the Turkish daily, Daily Sabah.
Commenting on this, former Israeli Ambassador to the US, Michael Oren, stated that in his experience, no Israeli Prime Minister has ever visited the US without accompanying meetings with the US President. Netanyahu’s stay in New York lasted only eight hours. While he reportedly had an agenda to meet leaders from Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Ethiopia, Colombia, Greece, Slovenia, and Papua New Guinea, he lacked scheduled meetings with Trump, UK Mayor Andy Burnham, or French President Emmanuel Macron, all of whom were previously staples of his UN agenda.
Ironically, since last February, he and Trump had worked side-by-side to combat Iran. Trump met with Netanyahu eight times during his presidency, but they have not met since July. Many believe that Netanyahu and Trump are no longer aligned; Netanyahu opposes US positions regarding ceasefire agreements with Iran, whereas Trump is no longer bothered by the stance of his allies towards Israel.
One such stance is that of the United Kingdom, which on 8 September issued a ban on trading with illegal Israeli settlers in the West Bank. UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband even referred to the Jewish settlers in the West Bank as terrorists conducting ethnic cleansing. This British move is a manifestation of the nation’s stance, which recognises the State of Palestine in September 2025.