New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani shared his reaction after being mentioned by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September. During a discussion with podcaster Theo Von, Mamdani expressed his surprise at the situation.
Von prompted Mamdani by recalling the event. “And he called you out too,” Von said. “Was that weird? Was that scary?” Mamdani responded, “It was strange.” He elaborated that he was in a meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister at the LGBTQ center in Manhattan when he learned of Netanyahu’s remarks.
Netanyahu had criticized Mamdani during his speech, accusing him of disseminating false information about Israel and attempting to bar him from speaking in the city. Referring to Mamdani, Netanyahu stated, “To all those spreading these lies about my country and our soldiers, whether they sit in this hall or in the office of the antisemitic mayor of New York, I say this: Shame on you.”
Mamdani previously pledged to have Netanyahu arrested during his mayoral campaign. He insisted that the federal government should enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against the Israeli leader if he visits New York. The ICC issued the warrant in November 2024 for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, which Netanyahu and the Israeli government deny.
When Von asked Mamdani if he would have arrested Netanyahu, Mamdani responded, “If I had my say, the U.S. government would have joined the ICC and honored every single warrant they issued.”
Von described the experience as “bizarre” due to Netanyahu’s direct mentioning of Mamdani. He asked if Mamdani felt it was a personal attack. Mamdani replied, “All of this is an attempt to distract from responsibility, name as many people as possible, try and make it into a back and forth.” He added, “It’s not about me and him. It’s about the fact that he’s the architect of a genocide.”
The entire interview provided insight into the ongoing tensions between Mamdani’s stance and Netanyahu’s actions.