Mamdani responds with statement, cites ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu
The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday heard Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply criticize New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, accusing him of being anti-Semitic. The remarks came during Netanyahu’s address to the General Assembly and marked his first visit to New York City since Mamdani took office at the start of the year.
“Mr. Mamdani, since you were elected mayor of the city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York,” Netanyahu told delegates. “They talk to me. They tell me, ‘This is not the city we remember.’”
Netanyahu continued: “Shame on you. Shame on you for distorting the facts, shame on you for inverting victim and aggressor, shame on you for spitting in the face of truth.”
In a statement after the speech, Mamdani said: “As he has done time and again, Prime Minister Netanyahu used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians.” Mamdani added: “Yet, no lie can change the fact that he remains the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
Mamdani is a longtime critic of Israel who supports Palestinian independence. During his previous mayoral campaign, he promised to execute an international arrest warrant against Netanyahu during his next visit to New York, accusing the prime minister of being a war criminal over Israel’s actions in Gaza. In July, however, Mamdani said city officials did not have the legal authority to arrest Netanyahu.
The mayor has said he opposes “hate or bigotry of any kind.”
Netanyahu, in his address, also denied the genocide allegations and pushed back against Mamdani’s prior remarks. “You falsely, repeatedly accuse Israel of genocide. You try to stop me from coming here. You try to silence me. Well, you can’t silence me. You can’t silence the truth. Here’s a simple truth: Israel didn’t commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide.”
Many delegates walked out of the General Assembly hall just before Netanyahu began speaking. Some supporters in attendance chanted “Am Yisrael Chai?” — translated as “The people of Israel live!”
Addressing the walkout, Netanyahu said: “If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t yet left this hall, please do so now. Thank you very much.”
Just before Netanyahu spoke, Mamdani posted a video online of an olive tree being planted at Gracie Mansion with Palestinian families from Gaza. “May peace be our future,” Mamdani said in the post.