25 September,2026 11:01 AM IST | New York | mid-day online correspondent
Zohran Mamdani. Pic/AFP
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Thursday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly to repeat what he described as "baseless lies" about Israel's actions in Gaza.
Mamdani's remarks came after Netanyahu directly criticised him during his UN General Assembly address, alleging that Jewish residents in New York no longer felt safe following Mamdani's election.
The exchange marked the latest public confrontation between Netanyahu and Mamdani, who has been a vocal critic of Israel's military actions in Gaza. Netanyahu has rejected allegations that Israel is committing genocide and has accused Mamdani of supporting positions and individuals hostile towards Israel and Jewish communities.
Responding to Netanyahu's speech, Mamdani said the Israeli prime minister had again sought to justify Israel's conduct in Gaza.
"As he has done time and again, Prime Minister Netanyahu used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitise his genocide of Palestinians. Yet 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," as per the statement.
Mamdani has previously described Netanyahu as a "war criminal" and accused him of being responsible for what he calls genocide against Palestinians. He has also called for Netanyahu to face arrest under the International Criminal Court warrant.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel has rejected the allegations and disputed the court's jurisdiction.
During his UN address, Netanyahu directly addressed Mamdani and alleged that Jewish residents of New York had become increasingly concerned about their safety.
"Mr. Mamdani, since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York. They talk to me. They tell me, This isn't the city we remember. It changed so quickly. You praise criminals convicted of supporting Hamas. You count as friends people like Hasan Piker, who said America deserved 9/11. America deserved 9/11. Some friends you have. You invited to your home a Palestinian journalist who filmed Hamas terrorists beating and torturing Israeli hostages, and later admitted that he refused to publish the videos in order to protect, you guessed it, the terrorists," he further said.
Netanyahu also accused Mamdani of associating with people who have expressed support for Hamas and criticised the mayor-elect's opposition to Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
Mamdani has rejected allegations that criticism of Israel or advocacy for Palestinian rights amounts to antisemitism. The dispute between the two has intensified as Mamdani prepares to take office as New York City mayor.
Netanyahu also used his UN speech to reject allegations that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.
"Your wife liked a post praising the October 7 massacre. She liked another post saying Tel Aviv shouldn't exist. You refuse to condemn any of that. You falsely and repeatedly accuse Israel of genocide. Mr. Mamdani, you try to stop me from coming here. You tried to silence me. Well, you can't silence me. You can't silence the truth. And here's the simple truth. Here's a simple truth: Israel didn't commit genocide; Israel prevented genocide," he said.
Israel has consistently denied allegations of genocide and said its military campaign is aimed at Hamas following the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Palestinian officials and international bodies have made allegations concerning Israel's conduct in Gaza, while the legal question of genocide remains contested and subject to international judicial proceedings.
Reuters reported ahead of Netanyahu's UN appearance that he intended to use the platform to defend Israel's military actions and respond to criticism from Mamdani.
Mamdani had earlier called on the US federal government to enforce the ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu if he entered the United States, while saying the Israeli prime minister was not welcome in New York.
During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani said he would direct New York police to enforce the warrant if Netanyahu came to the city. He has since acknowledged that the city does not have the authority to arrest the Israeli prime minister and has instead urged the federal government to act. US President Donald Trump has said Netanyahu would not be arrested.
Netanyahu referred to Mamdani's earlier efforts to prevent his appearance in New York during his UN speech.
"Mr. Mamdani, you try to stop me from coming here. You tried to silence me. Well, you can't silence me. You can't silence the truth," he said.
(With inputs from ANI)
