Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his UN General Assembly address to confront New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, accusing him of antisemitism and rejecting allegations that Israel committed genocide in Gaza. Mamdani hit back by citing the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Netanyahu and accusing him of trying to justify Israel’s actions in Gaza.
United Nations, Sept 2026 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday to launch a sharp attack on New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, telling him “shame on you” and accusing him of antisemitism.
Netanyahu’s decision to directly confront a city mayor from the General Assembly podium added an unusual dimension to his speech, in which world leaders are traditionally the principal targets of political criticism.
The Israeli prime minister was responding to Mamdani’s previous allegations that Israel was committing “genocide” in Gaza, as well as the mayor’s earlier suggestion that Netanyahu could face arrest if he visited New York. Mamdani later dropped that threat after acknowledging the legal limitations on the mayor’s office.
Netanyahu accused Mamdani of “spitting in the face of truth” and attempting to reverse the roles of victims and aggressors.
“Shame on you for inverting victim and aggressor,” Netanyahu said, asserting that Israelis and Jews were the real victims of violence.
“Israel didn’t commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide,” he said, adding that Hamas would have carried out violence against Israelis had Israel not acted against the group.
Netanyahu also claimed that many Jewish residents had felt increasingly unsafe in New York since Mamdani became mayor.
According to New York Police Department statistics cited in the debate, antisemitic incidents have constituted a significant share of reported bias crimes in the city. Netanyahu used the figures to support his criticism of Mamdani’s leadership.
The Israeli leader also brought Mamdani’s wife, artist Rama Duwaji, into his criticism, alleging that she had liked social-media posts praising the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and another post saying Tel Aviv should not exist. These allegations were presented by Netanyahu as evidence of what he described as hostility towards Israel.
Mamdani did not participate in the protests organised by pro-Palestinian supporters near the UN during Netanyahu’s appearance, although several of his political allies took part. Police arrested more than 100 people during one demonstration after protesters blocked a road leading towards the UN complex.
The protests involved figures associated with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, including individuals who had received Mamdani’s political endorsement.
Earlier, Mamdani had symbolically planted an olive tree at Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York’s mayor, alongside Palestinian families from Gaza. The olive tree has become an important symbol of Palestinian identity and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Responding to Netanyahu’s UN speech, Mamdani accused the Israeli prime minister of repeating what he called “baseless lies” intended to justify Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
He also referred to the arrest warrant issued against Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Mamdani said that Netanyahu remained the subject of an ICC arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity. The warrant was issued in November 2024 in a case brought before the court following a referral by South Africa.
The ICC is established under the Rome Statute, an international treaty that defines its jurisdiction and legal framework. Neither India nor the United States is a party to the Rome Statute.
US President Donald Trump has also strongly criticised the ICC. In his UN speech earlier this week, Trump called on countries to reject the court and opposed its actions involving US allies.
The dispute over Netanyahu’s appearance at the UN therefore extended beyond the verbal confrontation between the Israeli prime minister and Mamdani, reflecting wider disagreements over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, international accountability and the authority of the ICC.
While Netanyahu rejected the genocide allegation and defended Israel’s actions as necessary to protect its people, Mamdani continued to cite international legal proceedings against the Israeli leader and condemn Israel’s conduct in Gaza. The two positions remain sharply opposed, with the ICC proceedings continuing separately from the political dispute.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
