Israeli academics and artists call on Biden and UN to shun Netanyahu during his upcoming US visit

JERUSALEM (AP) — Thousands of Israeli academics and artists have urged U.S. President Joe Biden and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to shun Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his scheduled visit to the U.S. next week. In an open letter published on Wednesday, over 3,500 signers called on Biden and Guterres not to meet with Netanyahu or invite him to speak at the U.N. General Assembly’s yearly meeting of world leaders. Netanyahu plans to travel to the U.S. to visit with high-tech leaders in California before flying to New York to address the U.N. The open letter calls his far-right government a threat to Israel’s economy and security.