Israel's diplomatic calendar takes centre stage this morning as Prime Minister Netanyahu prepares to land in New Jersey ahead of a pared-back UN visit that notably excludes any meeting with President Trump. The trip comes as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani doubles down on his branding of Netanyahu as an 'architect of genocide'. Elsewhere, mourners gathered in the West Bank to bury a father killed shielding his son in a terror attack, while a string of stories from Britain and the United States highlight growing concern over antisemitism and the fallout from the Gaza war.

Security

Netanel Shukrun, killed in Sunday's shooting attack at a West Bank spring, was laid to rest as mourners heard how he shouted a warning that saved his 16-year-old son Yoav in his final moments. His widow, Meirav, described 18 years of a marriage she called 'perfect'. The attack has renewed focus on security at popular West Bank sites frequented by Israeli families.

Politics

Netanyahu is set for one of the shortest US visits of his premiership, landing in New Jersey rather than JFK and addressing the UN General Assembly without any scheduled meeting with President Trump; a planned meeting with Elon Musk has also been dropped from the itinerary. Ahead of his arrival, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani used a CNN interview to renew his description of Netanyahu as the 'architect of Palestinian genocide', reaffirming his view that no one is above international law despite having walked back an earlier pledge to enforce the ICC arrest warrant against him. Mamdani said he raised the need to honour ICC warrants directly with President Trump during what was otherwise described as a cordial meeting. On the domestic front, Israeli political parties have begun setting out their positions on judicial reform – including the override clause and the judicial selection committee – ahead of an expected political showdown after 27 October; Likud again declined to respond to requests for its stance.

International

President Trump is expected to use his UN General Assembly speech to defend last year's strikes on Iran and highlight his administration's Gaza peace efforts, though he has previously complained of technical 'sabotage' during past UN appearances. Iran has warned it could deploy new weapons and strike new targets if the US escalates military action, while Britain has offered Saudi Arabia aerial refuelling support to help counter Houthi attacks. NBC reporting detailed sharp divisions within the US military ahead of a now-cancelled strike on Houthi targets, with the decision to call it off reportedly made less than three hours before execution following a call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Separately, CNN, MS NOW and Politico have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over a White House press ban, arguing it breaches First Amendment protections. In Ukraine, Russian strikes on the south-eastern city of Dnipro killed three people overnight, regional governor Oleksandr Lysak confirmed. In Britain, concern over antisemitism continues to mount: a man was arrested after an imitation firearm scare forced a Jewish school in Edgware into lockdown, while a Times of Israel opinion piece argued that British Jewish life has been 'irrevocably changed' by recent events. Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil told a Yom Kippur gathering that he wants God to 'hold Israel accountable', while in London, a student was cleared by the Old Bailey of supporting Hamas despite declaring solidarity with 'Palestinian armed resistance' days after the 7 October attacks. In the US, a Vermont court convicted a man who shot three Palestinian students during a Thanksgiving walk weeks after 7 October, leaving one paralysed; the defendant claimed he acted on instructions he believed came from the Mossad and CIA via radio. Separately, charges are set to be dropped against pro-Palestinian activists who occupied a Stanford building in 2024, after they paid $52,000 in restitution and agreed to community service.

Other Developments

A new report has raised alarm in Israel's education sector, with 37% of students saying school is a waste of their time and more than half believing it fails to prepare them for adult life, following recent poor PISA test results; experts point to outdated teaching methods struggling to keep pace with rapid technological change. In the entertainment world, singer Ed Sheeran told a US concert audience that the Nova festival massacre was 'horrific' and 'compounded centuries of Jewish pain', while also calling the situation in Gaza 'catastrophic' and acknowledging he had made 'mistakes' amid the recent controversy over Macklemore's removal from his tour.

Sources: Ynet, Walla, www.israelhayom.co.il, Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post