Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, labelling New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani an antisemite. Netanyahu's speech came at a time when his country has been increasingly isolated and vilified on the international stage following three years of war against Iran and its proxies. Many diplomats staged a walkout as Netanyahu rose to speak, while some of his supporters chanted, “Am Yisrael Chai!”
Netanyahu's visit to New York included a number of meetings with heads of state, but absent from his itinerary was President Donald Trump. The US leader spoke at the UN on Tuesday and was in Washington when Netanyahu arrived. Outside UN headquarters in Manhattan, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets to rally against Netanyahu and his policies. The tone for the Israeli premier's visit was set prior to his arrival, with Mamdani calling Netanyahu a war criminal.
During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani had threatened to arrest the prime minister but conceded over the summer that, as mayor of New York, he had no authority to do so. Mamdani made no such threats against other leaders attending the General Assembly, including the Iranian president, whose country has been at war with the United States for most of the year. Tensions have also been high between Mamdani and Israeli Consul General to New York Ofir Akunis.
Akunis has likened Mamdani's policies to those of Nazi Germany and warned that his anti-Israel rhetoric was endangering Jews in the city. Netanyahu followed Akunis's lead in saying that, since Mamdani was elected, “many Jews no longer feel safe in New York”. Netanyahu said that Mamdani counts as friends people like the streamer Hasan Piker, who believes America deserved 9/11.
Netanyahu also called out a number of countries and leaders who have criticised the Jewish State or acted against it, such as Qatar and Turkey. Unlike past years, however, Netanyahu did not present a bold vision of the future or speak of a new Middle East. Even his talk of Iran and the danger of its nuclear programme, which typically dominates his UN speeches, lacked a clear path forward.
In a statement to the media after the speech, Mamdani recalled that the International Criminal Court had issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu for his actions against the Palestinians. “As he has done time and again, Prime Minister Netanyahu used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitise his genocide of Palestinians.
Several countries, such as Qatar and Turkey, have spent billions “to spread lies about my country”, Netanyahu charged. Qatar, which hosts Hamas leaders, has provided funding to US universities and media outlets like Al Jazeera, he contended, so it could “brainwash young minds to hate Israel, hate America, and hate the West”.
Key points
- Netanyahu labels Mamdani an antisemite who endangers Jews in New York.
- Mamdani had threatened to arrest Netanyahu during his mayoral campaign.
- The International Criminal Court had issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu for his actions against the Palestinians.
