❗️Netanyahu slams Mamdani despite mayor's softened stance against PM's NY visit

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday, accusing him of supporting Hamas and “inciting unrest against Jews in New York,” after Mamdani reiterated his support for enforcing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against the prime minister.

“Shame on you, Mr. Mamdani,” Netanyahu said.

“Shame on you for supporting the Hamas terrorist monsters who brutally massacred our people. Shame on you for inciting unrest against Jews in New York. I am coming to the UN. I will tell the truth about our heroic soldiers and the truth about you.”

Netanyahu’s remarks came after Mamdani told CNN on 21 September that he continued to regard Netanyahu as a “war criminal and architect of the horrific genocide against the Palestinian people” and said the Israeli prime minister was not above the law and should be held accountable under the ICC warrant.

The exchange comes despite Mamdani adopting a softer position on protests surrounding Netanyahu’s visit to New York for the UN General Assembly. On 16 September, Mamdani said he would not attend demonstrations against Netanyahu and denied encouraging New Yorkers to protest, while maintaining that residents had the constitutional right to do so.

“I do not have any plans to attend any protest at the UN General Assembly,” Mamdani told reporters, adding that he had been in contact with the NYPD and that “right now, there are no expected threats that we know of.”

Asked why he would not join demonstrations given his previous criticism of Netanyahu, Mamdani said he had already made his position clear.

“When it comes to the UN General Assembly, my focus is ensuring that our city remains prepared to host representatives from across the world to keep New Yorkers safe.”

Mamdani also rejected the suggestion that he had encouraged residents to demonstrate against Netanyahu.

“To New Yorkers, I have never encouraged them to protest. What I have always told them is that they have the right to do so in the city. We respect that right.”

Mamdani had previously told supporters frustrated by his inability to arrest Netanyahu that protest was a legitimate option for New Yorkers. In July, after a legal review concluded that the city lacked the authority to enforce the ICC warrant, he said protest was one way residents could express their opposition to Netanyahu’s visit.