Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a scathing attack on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during his address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, accusing him of trying to silence him and declaring that Jewish residents no longer feel safe in the city.
"Mr Mamdani, you try to stop me from coming here. You tried to silence me. Well, you can't silence me. You can't silence the truth," Netanyahu said, addressing Mamdani directly from the UN podium in New York.
He went further, saying, "Mr Mamdani, since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York. They talk to me. They tell me, 'This isn't the city we remember. It changed so quickly.'"
Netanyahu accused Mamdani of counting convicted supporters of Hamas among his associates and cited podcaster Hasan Piker, who had said America deserved the September 11 attacks, as one of his friends.
He also referenced a Palestinian journalist Mamdani had reportedly invited to his home, alleging the journalist filmed Hamas militants abusing Israeli hostages and later admitted withholding the footage to protect the perpetrators.
The Israeli leader additionally claimed Mamdani's wife had liked social media posts praising the October 7, 2023 attacks and suggesting Tel Aviv should not exist. "You falsely and repeatedly accuse Israel of genocide," Netanyahu said, adding: "Israel didn't commit genocide; Israel prevented genocide."
ALSO READ: 'Shame On You, Mamdani': Netanyahu Vows To Expose New York Mayor At UN General Assembly
The remarks cap months of escalating tension between the two leaders.
Mamdani had earlier called for Netanyahu's arrest under an International Criminal Court warrant issued in November 2024 over alleged war crimes in Gaza, though the mayor later acknowledged the city lacked legal authority to act on it.
Jewish organisations, including the UJA-Federation of New York, have accused Mamdani of making the city's roughly one million Jewish residents feel targeted.
Netanyahu arrived in New York on 23 September for a brief visit and addressed the General Assembly on 24 September before returning to Israel the same night, according to Israeli officials.
ALSO READ: Netanyahu Vows To Attend UN As Mamdani Says He's Not Welcome'
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