Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday hurled blistering words at New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, calling Hamas the mayor’s “buddies.”
In a fiery speech at the U.N. General Assembly, Netanyahu railed against Mamdani for his scrutiny of Israel, noting that the socialist mayor attempted to have him arrested while attending the world leaders’ gathering in New York City.
“Here’s the simple truth: Israel didn’t commit genocide,” Netanyahu said. “Israel prevented genocide. And that’s exactly what Mr. Mamdani’s Hamas buddies would have done to us, had we not stopped them.”
Mamdani is well known as a harsh critic of Israel and has repeatedly alleged the Jewish state is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. On Wednesday night, Mamdani invited Palestinian families from Gaza to plant an olive tree at Gracie Mansion. A video posted to social media showed the mayor dining with the families in the mayoral home.
Netanyahu designated part of his address to “those spreading lies” that Israel is the aggressor in the conflict. In defending his country, Netanyahu cited the actions Israel took to inform Palestinians of the harm posed by Hamas, as well as humanitarian efforts that included administering vaccinations and delivering food.
“To all those spreading these lies about my country and about our brave soldiers, whether they sit in this hall or in the office of the antisemitic mayor of New York, I say this: Shame on you, shame on you for distorting the facts, shame on you for inverting victim and aggressor, shame on you for spitting in the face of truth,” Netanyahu said.
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The prime minister also targeted Mamdani’s running of New York City, saying his opposition to Israel has made Jews in the city feel unsafe.
“Mr. Mamdani, since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York,” he said. “They talk to me. They tell me this isn’t the city we remember. It changed so quickly.”
Netanyahu also took aim at Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who is a staunch supporter of Mamdani and has made a slew of controversial remarks about Israel and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
“Now it’s no wonder you praise criminals convicted of supporting Hamas. You count as friends people like Hasan Piker, who said America deserved 9/11,” Netanyahu said. “Some friends you have.”
He also directly addressed Mamdani’s desire to arrest him while attending the UNGA.
“Mr. Mamdani, you try to stop me from coming here. You tried. You tried to silence me. Well, you can’t silence me,” Netanyahu said.
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Mamdani had suggested he would carry out an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, and that New York police would arrest Netanyahu while visiting the city for the annual gathering, but later admitted he lacked independent legal authority to enforce the warrant. The ICC’s warrant for Netanyahu charges him with allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which Netanyahu strongly rejects.
While Netanyahu addressed the global leaders, roughly 250 protesters gathered outside the U.N. headquarters in protest of the Israeli leader.
