Netanyahu Attacks Mamdani in UN Speech

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a speech to the United Nations General Assembly on September 24 to attack New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over his criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and his past statements about enforcing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Netanyahu. Netanyahu called Mamdani antisemitic and claimed that many Jewish New Yorkers no longer feel safe since Mamdani was elected. Netanyahu presented conversations with unnamed people as the basis for the safety claim, saying they had told him the city had changed. The reports provided no independent survey results or incident data to substantiate whether Jewish New Yorkers’ sense of safety had changed after the election. The prime minister accused Mamdani of spreading false claims that Israel committed genocide in Gaza. Netanyahu rejected the genocide allegation and said Israel had taken steps to protect civilians. Mamdani has criticized Israel’s military actions and advocated for Palestinian rights, while saying that those positions are not antisemitic. The two men’s competing characterizations of the war and Mamdani’s criticism were central to Netanyahu’s remarks.