Netanyahu attacks New York mayor at UN speech

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his address at the United Nations General Assembly to launch a direct attack on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Netanyahu called the mayor an antisemite during his roughly 40-minute speech on Thursday and referenced Mamdani's wife, Rama Duwaji. The address drew protests both inside and outside the United Nations building. Netanyahu faces a tight re-election battle at home and an International Criminal Court warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza. Netanyahu told the assembly that Israel had prevented genocide rather than committed one and accused Mamdani of being aligned with Hamas. He stated that the lies spread about the Jewish state have real consequences. Netanyahu also claimed that Duwaji had liked a social-media post praising the October 7 massacre. He further pointed to Mamdani's association with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, citing past remarks made by Piker. Netanyahu told Mamdani that many Jews no longer feel safe in New York since he was elected mayor. Mamdani responded within hours by issuing a statement. He accused Netanyahu of repeating baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians and denied holding antisemitic views. Mamdani stated that his administration has increased funding to combat hate crimes in the city. He stayed largely out of public view on the day of the speech and held private meetings, including one with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten. Mamdani has previously called Netanyahu a war criminal over Israel's conduct in Gaza.