Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver defiant UN speech while facing protests and political isolation

Prime minister will ‘highlight Israel’s achievements’ as he heads towards his toughest re-election challenge

When he takes the stage at the UN on Thursday, Benjamin Netanyahu will deliver a familiar message of defiance even as protests and international condemnation leave the Israeli leader in growing isolation.

Netanyahu is facing his toughest re-election challenge in a political career spanning decades with three ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, and a growing campaign of violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.