Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, attended a dinner in their honor on Saturday night hosted by Jewish-American businessman Simon Falic at the upscale kosher steakhouse Reserve Cut in Manhattan. Falic, a longtime associate of the Netanyahus who often hosts them at his home in Jerusalem, reportedly reserved the entire restaurant for the event, which was closed to the public.
In addition to the prime minister and his wife, several Jewish donors from Miami were also invited. Netanyahu’s son Yair was seen leaving the hotel with his Shin Bet security escort.
Sources familiar with the event said Yair Netanyahu was involved in various decisions surrounding the trip, including the cancellation of a press briefing at the United Nations that was scheduled to follow the prime minister’s address to the General Assembly. Journalists had been waiting, but the briefing was called off. Yair also reportedly was heard saying that “Channel 14 should be the only one spoken to,” referring to a right-leaning Israeli TV station.
Alongside the canceled briefing, supporters who had cheered Netanyahu’s speech from the gallery were left waiting in vain to shake his hand.
Later, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that a press briefing would be held after Netanyahu’s upcoming meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday. However, the office also declined to allow journalists to accompany him on the Wing of Zion government jet from New York to Washington.
This casts doubt on previous claims that reporters were excluded from the flight from Israel to the U.S. due to an extended flight path designed to avoid countries where Netanyahu might risk arrest in an emergency landing—an explanation that would not apply within the United States. The Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.
Exactly one year ago, the Netanyahus also attended a festive dinner in New York at the Regency Hotel, where they are staying again this year. That event was also hosted by Falic’s family. At the time, reports indicated their return to Israel was delayed despite the execution of a daring operation to assassinate then-Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. Netanyahu’s delegation did not leave for JFK Airport until roughly 10 hours after the strike in Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood.