Netanyahu vows to denounce New York’s mayor in UN visit

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared his intention to condemn New York's mayor, Zohran Mamdani, during an upcoming address to the United Nations General Assembly. This vow comes after Mamdani, a leftist critic of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, described Netanyahu as a "war criminal" and an "architect of a catastrophic genocide" against Palestinians in a recent CNN interview. Mamdani also called for Netanyahu's arrest during the annual UN summit, although he later admitted the prospect was unfeasible.

Mamdani, who has labeled the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel as a "horrific war crime," has consistently condemned violence against Jews in New York. The city's mayor held a commemoration on the holiest Jewish day of Yom Kippur on Monday.

Despite facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, neither Israel nor the United States accepts the court and leaders visiting the UN typically enjoy immunity from US authorities. The Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people and the kidnapping of 251 hostages, 44 of whom had already succumbed to their injuries, according to Israeli official figures.

In response, Israel initiated a large-scale counter-offensive that has displaced the majority of Gaza's population at least once, causing the deaths of 73,919 people, as per the Gaza health ministry.

Netanyahu's visit to the UN General Assembly coincides with a closely contested election race. His campaign recently displayed a banner featuring Mamdani, New York's first Muslim mayor, alongside the supreme leader of Iran, the chief of Hezbollah, and Turkey's president, alleging they conspired to defeat him.