New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of spreading “baseless lies in a speech to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Mamdani responded after Netanyahu criticised him during Thursday’s (24 September) address.
The two have clashed previously over Netanyahu’s conduct in Gaza. Mamdani had repeatedly called for Netanyahu’s arrest if he visited New York, citing an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Mamdani has acknowledged that New York City authorities lack the power to carry out the arrest and has called on the federal government to act.
In his UN speech, Netanyahu called Mamdani antisemitic and said the mayor’s statements about Israel had left many Jewish New Yorkers feeling unsafe. He also rejected allegations that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, calling the accusation the lie of the century.
In a statement after the speech, Mamdani said Netanyahu had repeated baseless lies intended to justify what the mayor described as a genocide of Palestinians. He said those statements could not change the fact that Netanyahu remained the subject of an ICC arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel rejects the genocide allegation.
Netanyahu’s address also referred to Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji. She had faced criticism for liking social media posts expressing support for Palestinians after the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.
Mamdani was not present at the UN during Netanyahu’s speech. Earlier, he shared a video showing him planting an olive tree at his official residence and dining with Palestinian families from Gaza. The video carried the message: May peace be our future.
The dispute has also featured in Israeli election campaigning. Ahead of next month’s election, Netanyahu’s Likud party has used Mamdani’s image on campaign material alongside images of figures from Iran, Turkey and Hezbollah. Netanyahu has also released AI-generated and other videos targeting the New York mayor.
Brad Lander, a Mamdani ally and Democratic candidate for a congressional seat covering parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan, criticised Netanyahu’s UN remarks. He said using accusations of antisemitism as a political weapon instead of facing accountability for his actions made Israeli and American Jews less safe.