Israeli Consulate in NYC shuts down again due to letter threatening PM
For the second time in the past few days, the Israeli Consulate in New York is shut down after receiving a letter threatening PM Netanyahu inside an envelope also containing white powder.
The Israeli Consulate in New York City was shut down for the second time in less than a week after receiving a suspicious envelope containing a letter threatening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and white powder.
A similarly suspicious envelope was received at the consulate on Friday, prior to Netanyahu's arrival in New York City. In addition to a different threatening letter, Friday's envelope also contained white powder. The consulate was briefly shut down until its security finished examining the envelope's contents.
Netanyahu met with US President Donald Trump on Monday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting. Trump is also scheduled to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, on Wednesday.
In their third meeting of the year, Netanyahu mentioned his aim at abandoning the current deal with Iran. One of the most vociferous opponents of the deal, which was signed under Barack Obama’s leadership, Netanyahu has in the past delineated what he believes should be the West's clear red lines on the issue.
"I look forward to discussing with you how we can address together what you rightly called is the terrible nuclear deal with Iran and how to roll back Iran's growing aggression in the region, especially in Syria," Netanyahu told Trump.
Recently, Netanyahu has also expressed grave concern at Tehran’s attempts to spread its influence throughout the Middle East, and particularly to Syria and along Israel's northern border.
During his meeting with Trump, Netanyahu also mentioned Israel's seeking out peace with the Palestinians and the Arab world in general, a goal that is encouraged by the US. Trump is also to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later this week.
"As you said, we will discuss the way we can seize the opportunity for peace between Israel and the Palestinians and between Israel and the Arab world, I think these things go together and we look forward to talking about how we can advance both," added Netanyahu.
Trump agreed with him, saying that they "are giving it an absolute go," and that "we're working very hard" to reach a deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Trump has described peace between Israelis and Palestinians as "the ultimate deal."
"Peace between the Palestinians and Israel would be a fantastic achievement, and we are giving it an absolute go. I think there's a good chance that it could happen. Most people would say 'there's no chance whatsoever," Trump said. "I think Israel would like to see it. I think the Palestinians would like to see it. I can tell you the Trump administration would like to see it. So we're working very hard on it. We'll see what happens. Historically, people say it can't happen. I say it can happen."
