Jakarta, ThedailyID — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani responded after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized him during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, September 25.
Netanyahu accused Mamdani of making Jewish residents feel unsafe in New York. He also accused the mayor of supporting Hamas and antisemitism.
During his UN speech, Netanyahu said Mamdani had tried to prevent him from attending the event and silence him.
“You cannot silence me. You cannot silence the truth,” Netanyahu said during his address.
Netanyahu also rejected allegations that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. He instead said Israel was working to prevent genocide and criticized people who make accusations against the country and its military.
Netanyahu specifically directed his criticism at Mamdani, calling him an antisemitic mayor of New York and accusing him of supporting Hamas.
Mamdani later responded to the Israeli prime minister’s remarks. He accused Netanyahu of using the UN platform to repeat what he described as baseless claims about Israel’s actions in Gaza.
“As he has done repeatedly, Prime Minister Netanyahu used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to cover up his genocide of the Palestinian people,” Mamdani said, according to The Times of Israel.
Mamdani also referred to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu.
“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,” Mamdani said.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on November 21, 2024. The court said there were reasonable grounds to believe he bore criminal responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Gaza conflict.
The Israeli government has rejected the ICC’s jurisdiction and the allegations against Netanyahu. The legal proceedings concerning the court’s jurisdiction have also involved subsequent appeals.
The exchange came during Netanyahu’s appearance at the UN General Assembly in New York. His speech also drew protests and a walkout by numerous delegations, according to reports from the event.
The dispute between Netanyahu and Mamdani has developed alongside wider tensions over the Gaza war. Netanyahu has repeatedly defended Israel’s military actions, while Mamdani has publicly criticized Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
