Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confronted New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani during his UN address, accusing him of spreading false claims about Israel….reports Asian Lite News Desk
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply criticised New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during his address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, accusing him of spreading what he described as false claims about Israel and contributing to antisemitism.
Netanyahu directly addressed Mamdani during the speech, telling him “Shame on you” and accusing him of “inverting victim and aggressor” in his criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
The Israeli Prime Minister rejected allegations that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, saying Israel had instead acted to prevent attacks against its people.
“Israel didn’t commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide,” Netanyahu said, adding that the situation would have been different had Israel not intervened.
Netanyahu also said that Jewish New Yorkers no longer felt safe since Mamdani became mayor.
“Mr Mamdani, since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York,” he said.
He also criticised Mamdani over his public statements on Israel and Gaza and referred to comments and social media activity involving Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji.
Mamdani, who has been a vocal critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, responded after Netanyahu’s speech by accusing the Israeli leader of repeating what he called “baseless lies” to defend Israel’s actions.
“As he has done time and again, Prime Minister Netanyahu used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitise his genocide of Palestinians,” Mamdani said.
He also pointed to an arrest warrant issued for Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court, alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity. Netanyahu rejects the allegations against him.
The exchange followed an earlier dispute between the two politicians over Netanyahu’s presence in New York. Mamdani had previously said he would seek to have Netanyahu arrested if he came to the city, but later acknowledged that he did not have the authority to do so.
Netanyahu’s address came as his government faces international criticism over Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Israel has rejected allegations of genocide and maintains that its military campaign is directed against Hamas.
The dispute between Netanyahu and Mamdani also unfolded amid demonstrations in New York during the UN General Assembly. Protesters opposed to Israel’s policies gathered in the city, while some delegates walked out of the UN chamber as Netanyahu began his address.
Netanyahu’s decision to single out Mamdani, a city mayor rather than a national leader, made the exchange a prominent part of his UN address.
The confrontation highlighted the increasingly international dimension of the political debate over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, with Mamdani continuing to criticise Netanyahu while Netanyahu accused the mayor of spreading claims that he said endangered Jewish New Yorkers.
