Israel's NYC Consulate briefly shuts down over letter threatening PM
An envelope with a threatening letter against Netanyahu and white powder arrives at consulate, prior to PM Netanyahu's arrival in New York City, where he is to speak before the United Nations General Assembly; Netanyahu is currently finishing up his tour of Latin America.
The envelope was received prior to Netanyahu's arrival in New York City, where he is to speak at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday.
The envelope and its contents are currently being examined, after which it will be decided whether to reopen the Consulate.
US President Donald Trump is set to meet with Netanyahu on Monday, in addition to giving his own speech before the UN General Assembly. Trump will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday.
Netanyahu is currently finishing up his six-day tour of Latin America. On Thursday, after spending his final day in Mexico, he told the country's President Enrique Pena Nieto, "We can bring the fruits of (Israeli—ed) innovation to the people of Mexico."
Nieto said on Thursday that his country had accepted Israel's offer to help it and the United States develop Central America, as Israel and Mexico seek to deepen business ties.
Speaking at a news conference with Nieto, Netanyahu described the meeting as "a milestone" pointing out that the trip was the first to take place by any sitting Israeli prime minister.
"This is the first visit since the founding of the State of Israel of an Israeli prime minister in Latin America. It's the first visit in Mexico. It is, I would say, an unpardonable lapse, but we want the pardon," Netanyahu said.
"We're here. We think that we correct now a historic lapse, because Mexico is a great country. It's one of the world's great economies, it's a great nation, a great people, a great culture. We want to be close, even closer to Mexico, and this is what this meeting signifies."
Expressing his determination to "sieze the future" and to deepen Israel-Mexico ties in a variety of fields, the Israeli premier concluded by inviting the Mexican leader to Israel.
"The saying the Jewish people have had for many centuries was 'next year in Jerusalem.' So I would like to say this year in Jerusalem but it's rather late in the year, so I say, inviting you, to Israel next year in Jerusalem, my friend Enrique," Netanyahu said.
Nieto said at the press conference that the two nations had agreed to update their free trade agreement, which was signed in 2000.
The United States and Mexico have been seeking to encourage investment in infrastructure improvements in Central America's so-called Northern Triangle in an effort to stem migration to the United States.
The relationship between the nations was strained earlier this year by a tweet in which Netanyahu praise US President Donald Trump's plans to build a wall on the Mexican border. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin later issued a statement apologizing for any misunderstanding.
