Netanyahu Attacks Mayor Zohran Mamdani During UN General Assembly Address

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a sharp attack on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during his United Nations General Assembly address on Thursday, accusing him of trying to silence his visit and endangering Jewish residents, sparking a swift defense from local Jewish Democrats.

Netanyahu Directs UN Assembly Attacks at Mamdani

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his address at the United Nations General Assembly to target New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, claiming the mayor tried to prevent his arrival and stifle his voice. Addressing Mamdani directly from the UN plenum, the prime minister asserted that the city’s first Muslim mayor had made Jewish residents feel unsafe through his outspoken criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Netanyahu also accused the mayor of spreading lies about Israel and described him as the antisemitic mayor of New York, while stating that Mamdani is “buddies” with Hamas.

“Mr Mamdani, you tried to stop me from coming here. You tried to silence me. Well, you can’t silence me and you can’t silence the truth.”

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister

The speech marked the escalation of tensions that began during Mamdani’s mayoral campaign last year, when he pledged to direct police in New York to execute an arrest warrant against Netanyahu if he entered the city. Mamdani later conceded in July that his municipal administration lacked the independent legal authority to enforce the International Criminal Court warrant. The warrant, issued against Netanyahu in 2024, alleges war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with Israel’s conduct in Gaza, though Netanyahu and Israel have rejected the allegations. Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, criticized the mayor’s position beforehand, accusing him of inciting and promoting anti-Semitism.

New York Jewish Democrats Defend the Mayor Against UN Rhetoric

While Mamdani’s sharp criticism of Israel and his support for Palestinian rights have alarmed some local Jewish leaders, several top New York Jewish Democrats pushed back against Netanyahu’s plenum remarks, calling them excessive. Manhattan Borough President Brad HoylmanSigal condemned the prime minister’s characterizations during an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, calling it scurrilous to suggest that the mayor voices support for Hamas. HoylmanSigal also called Thursday’s speech a “political ploy” and a deflection by someone who has a lot of domestic turmoil, political and otherwise, adding that Netanyahu is fighting for his political life amid a reelection campaign where his Likud Party has made Mamdani a villain.

Netanyahu Attacks Mayor Zohran Mamdani During UN General Assembly Address — Photo: indiatoday.in

City Council Speaker Julie Menin also criticized the timing and tone of the address during a press conference on Thursday. Menin noted that the prime minister’s assertions were not helpful at all because we need to turn the temperature down, warning that this idea of what the prime minister said can really incite violence. We cannot have this. Menin has previously opposed Mamdani on some legislation related to protests outside houses of worship, a sensitive issue following protests picketing outside synagogues holding Israeli real estate events.

Mamdani Responds and Pothole Politics Share the Spotlight

Mamdani has condemned Hamas as a terrorist organization and has denounced antisemitic hate crimes committed in New York, maintaining that his criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian rights do not amount to antisemitism. The mayor fired back with a formal statement of his own, saying that Netanyahu used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians.

Netanyahu attacks NY mayor Mamdani at UN, says Jews no longer feel safe in New York

“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.”

Zohran Mamdani, New York City Mayor

The United States is not a party to the ICC and has no obligation to carry out its warrants on US soil. Mamdani has urged the federal government to arrest Netanyahu, though US President Donald Trump has said the Israeli prime minister will not be arrested. Mamdani met Trump in New York this week, and Netanyahu praised the US president during his speech, stating, We've had no greater partner than President Trump.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani — Photo: ibtimes.co.uk

The diplomatic clash coincided with the timing of Netanyahu’s visit on 24 September for the United Nations General Assembly, putting Mamdani to the test on his own political priorities. During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani repeatedly presented pothole politics as a model for local government focused on practical problems. On Thursday, his administration announced the repair of New York’s 200,000th pothole and released its first management report under the headline 'Pothole Politics' is Working. New York Democratic strategist Jake Dilemani noted that protests against visiting leaders are nothing new, while the visit has brought demonstrations from pro-Palestinian groups planning protests against Netanyahu alongside Jewish organizations preparing a separate No More Excuses rally focused on antisemitism.