Subway, soccer and spats: New York's Mamdani a UN week attraction
THE United Nations wasn’t the only New York attraction for visiting world leaders this week – Mayor Zohran Mamdani emerged as a popular draw for like-minded politicians and a target for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani attracted international attention this week for his appearances with world leaders. The 34-year-old former state lawmaker visited the UN General Assembly, where he met with Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. Mamdani also engaged with students on the topic of artificial intelligence.
However, his interactions were not without controversy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Mamdani for calling him a war criminal over Israel's actions in Gaza. The New York mayor was also a focus of Netanyahu's address to the UN, in which he denied accusations of genocide.
Mamdani's meetings were largely with world leaders of similar political leanings, but there was one notable exception: Republican US President Donald Trump. Trump, a supporter of Netanyahu, met with Mamdani at Gracie Mansion, the mayor's official residence, and expressed optimism about Mamdani's potential.
Netanyahu's speech at the UN was a stark contrast to Mamdani's meetings. He accused Mamdani of trying to stop him from coming to New York and accused him of repeating baseless lies to sanitize his actions in Gaza. Mamdani countered by describing Netanyahu as the architect of a horrific genocide against Palestinians.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
