Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, accusing him of supporting Hamas and inciting violence against Jewish residents, just as Netanyahu prepares to visit the United Nations General Assembly in Mamdani’s city.
In a video posted to X, Netanyahu said, “Shame on you, Mr. Mamdani. Shame on you for supporting the Hamas terrorist monsters who butchered our people. Shame on you for inciting riots against New York Jews.” He added that he would use his UN appearance to “tell the truth about our heroic soldiers and I’m going to tell the truth about you.”
The exchange escalated after Mamdani, following a Monday meeting with President Trump at Gracie Mansion, told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that Netanyahu is a “war criminal.” Mamdani later responded to Netanyahu’s video at a press conference, saying the prime minister’s claims are “not true” and calling him “the architect of a horrific genocide against Palestinians.”
Mamdani also pointed to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, saying, “What we do know to actually be the truth when it comes to the prime minister is that he is the subject of an ICC arrest warrant.” Netanyahu has rejected those charges, which underpin the ICC warrant issued in November 2024.
The mayor had initially floated the idea of detaining Netanyahu during his UN visit in accordance with the ICC warrant, but later backed off that threat while urging the federal government to join the ICC and enforce the warrant. The United States and Israel are not parties to the Rome Statute, the treaty establishing the ICC, and do not recognize the court’s jurisdiction over their citizens or officials. However, the ICC asserts jurisdiction over Palestinian territories and recognizes Palestine as a party to the statute.
Netanyahu has been a longtime critic of Mamdani, who campaigned last year on a platform supporting Gaza’s Palestinian population and criticizing the U.S. government’s close ties to Israel. In July, Netanyahu told Fox News, “Look at what he’s doing. He’s fomenting hate. He’s supposed to be the mayor of all New Yorkers, Jews, Christians, Muslims, everyone.”
The war between Israel and Hamas has been paused for nearly a year under a ceasefire, but Israel has continued to conduct strikes across Gaza. About 1,200 Israelis were killed in the initial Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, Israeli attacks have killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, including over 1,300 since the ceasefire took hold.
Mamdani has repeatedly condemned the Hamas attack and denied accusations of antisemitism from Republican and some Democratic critics. The clash comes as Netanyahu prepares to address the UN General Assembly, where he is expected to defend Israel’s military actions and push back against international criticism. The mayor’s meeting with Trump at Gracie Mansion, which drew praise from the former president, has also stirred controversy among some Republicans.
