Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during his U.N. address Thursday, accusing him of distorting Israel’s record and saying Jewish New Yorkers no longer feel safe in the city. Mamdani responded by accusing Netanyahu of repeating “baseless lies.”
Mamdani is also showing up in Netanyahu’s reelection campaign in Israel. His Likud party has put the New York mayor on billboards in Israel, and Netanyahu featured him in a recent AI-generated campaign video.
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Netanyahu targets Mamdani at the U.N.
Netanyahu singled out Mamdani during a section of his speech defending Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
“Shame on you for distorting the facts,” Netanyahu said. “Shame on you for inverting victim and aggressor. Shame on you for spitting in the face of truth.”
Netanyahu said Jewish New Yorkers have told him they no longer feel safe since Mamdani became mayor.
“They talk to me,” Netanyahu said. “They tell me, This isn’t the city we remember. It changed so quickly.”
He has also accused Mamdani of supporting Hamas.
Mamdani has condemned Hamas as a terrorist organization and called the Oct. 7 attack on Israel a “horrific war crime.”
Mamdani was not at the U.N. for Netanyahu’s speech. In a statement afterward, he accused the prime minister of repeating “baseless lies” and pointed to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu.
“Yet no lie can change the fact that he remains the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Mamdani said.
Netanyahu denies the ICC allegations and accusations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.
Netanyahu targeted Mamdani before Thursday
Before arriving at the U.N., Netanyahu posted a video accusing Mamdani of supporting Hamas and inciting riots against Jewish New Yorkers. Mamdani rejected those claims.
Mamdani has called Netanyahu a war criminal and said the federal government should honor the ICC warrant. He has acknowledged that New York City does not have the authority to arrest Netanyahu.
Shortly before Netanyahu’s speech Thursday, Mamdani posted a video showing him planting an olive tree at Gracie Mansion and sharing a meal with Palestinian families from Gaza. He captioned it: “May peace be our future.”
Netanyahu puts Mamdani in campaign ads
Netanyahu faces reelection next month, and Mamdani is now appearing in campaign material aimed at Israeli voters.
A Likud billboard in Tel Aviv puts Mamdani alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem.
“They want Netanyahu to lose,” the billboard reads. “Don’t let them win.”
Netanyahu also posted an AI-generated campaign video showing Mamdani and other Netanyahu opponents celebrating his defeat. The video then shows Netanyahu winning the election.