(The Center Square) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly Thursday amid an escalating public dispute with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Ahead of his arrival in New York City, which was expected late Wednesday, Netanyahu released a video saying he will use his UN speech to defend Israel’s military actions against Hamas in Gaza and throughout the region.
He also ripped into Mamdani over his anti-Israel rhetoric and pledges to seek the foreign leader’s arrest for war crimes, accusing the Muslim mayor of supporting terrorist groups and inciting violence against Jewish New Yorkers.
“Shame on you for inciting riots against New York Jews,” Netanyahu said. “I’m coming to the UN, I’m going to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers, and I’m going to tell the truth about you.”
Mamdani fired back at the Israeli leader, saying the claims he made in the video “not true” and calling him “the architect of the horrific genocide against Palestinians.”
“What we do know to actually be the truth when it comes to the prime minister is that he is the subject of an International Criminal Court warrant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Mamdani said. “And that just a few days ago, his military killed an 11-year-old boy in what is deemed to be a safe zone in Gaza. So, that is what I have to say to his video.”
Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim mayor, has been highly critical of Netanyahu and the Israeli government. He has described the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza as a “genocide” and repeatedly called for the Israeli leader to be prosecuted.
The International Criminal Court, a permanent international tribunal based in The Hague, Netherlands, issued a warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest in 2024 for alleged war crimes against humanity over his government’s military actions in the Gaza Strip and other Palestinian territories in response to the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack that killed more than 1,200 Israelis.
Israel does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction and has called for the war crime charges to be dismissed. The U.S. government also doesn’t recognize the court’s jurisdiction. President Donald Trump has said he supports Netanyahu’s military actions in Gaza and his administration recently approved a $2.8 billion sale of heavy bombs to Israel.
The new mayor had previously vowed to direct the NYPD to execute the warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest if he visited New York City. He later backed away from the threats after determining that he doesn’t “have the independent legal authority” to put cuffs on the foreign leader.
Last week, Mamdani told reporters that he wouldn’t be participating in anti-Israel protests expected in New York City ahead of Netanyahu’s address.
This story originally appeared in The Center Square.
