Ahead of his departure for this week’s U.N. General Assembly in New York, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a defiant video to social media addressed to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has called for the arrest of the Israeli leader.
“Shame on you, Mr. Mamdani … for supporting the Hamas terrorist monsters who butchered our people,” Netanyahu said. “I’m coming to the U.N., I’m going to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers, and I’m going to tell the truth about you.”
Mamdani has not expressed support for Hamas. On the campaign trail and as mayor, he has been sharply critical of Israel and pledged to enforce a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for the arrest of Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, which Netanyahu has described as antisemitic lies.
The U.S. is not party to the ICC, and Mamdani has acknowledged legal obstacles to enforcing the warrant. In an interview with CNN on Monday, following a meeting with President Donald Trump, Mamdani called the Israeli leader a “war criminal” but said that “New York City does not have the authority to carry out the ICC’s warrant.”
Among Mamdani’s key election challengers, former New York governor Andrew M. Cuomo was part of Netanyahu’s defense team before the ICC and then-Mayor Eric Adams expressed support for Netanyahu, meeting with him on the sidelines of last year’s General Assembly.
Protests are expected in response to Netanyahu’s appearance at the United Nations.
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The post ‘Shame on you,’ Netanyahu says of Mamdani ahead of trip to NYC appeared first on Washington Post.
