New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has expressed his thoughts on being called out by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the latter's address to the United Nations General Assembly in late September.
Mamdani, in an interview with podcaster Theo Von, described the experience as "strange". He recalled being in a meeting with the prime minister of the Netherlands at an LGBTQ center in downtown Manhattan when he was informed of Netanyahu's comments. The Israeli prime minister had criticized Mamdani directly during the speech, accusing him of spreading "lies" about Israel and attempting to prevent him from speaking in the city.
Netanyahu's comments were made in response to Mamdani's previous statements, in which he had called for the mayor's arrest if he visited New York. The arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in November 2024 over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Netanyahu and the Israeli government have rejected the allegations and challenged the court's actions.
Mamdani's comments to Von were made in the context of his earlier statements, in which he had called on the federal government to honor the ICC's warrant if Netanyahu visits the United States. Mamdani stated that if he had his way, the US government would join the ICC and honor all of its warrants.
The exchange between Mamdani and Netanyahu has been seen as a high-profile example of the tensions between the two leaders.
NTC Report coverage is based on reporting from the original publisher.
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