New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told podcaster Theo Von Thursday he found it “strange” to be called out by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his address to the United Nations General Assembly in late September.
“And he called you out too,” Von recalled. “Was that weird? Was that scary?”
“It was strange,” Mamdani said. “I mean, I was — I was having a meeting with the prime minister of the Netherlands at the LGBTQ center in downtown Manhattan,” Mamdani recalled. “Then I get back from that meeting, and it’s like, ‘Oh, by the way, here’s what he was saying at the U.N.’”
Netanyahu had criticized Mamdani directly during the speech, accusing him of spreading “lies” about Israel and trying to prevent him from speaking in the city.
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“So, to all those spreading these lies about my country and about our brave soldiers, whether they sit in this hall or in the office of the antisemitic mayor of New York, I say this: Shame on you,” Netanyahu said. “Shame on you for distorting the facts. Shame on you for inverting victim and aggressor. Shame on you for spitting in the face of truth, Mr. Mamdani.”
Mamdani initially promised to have Netanyahu arrested during his mayoral campaign and later called on the federal government to execute an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) if the Israeli leader visits New York.
The ICC issued the warrant in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Netanyahu and the Israeli government have rejected the allegations and challenged the court’s actions.
Von asked the mayor, “But if you had your say, we would have arrested the guy, you think?”
“If I had my say, the U.S. government would have joined the ICC, honored every single warrant that they’ve issued,” Mamdani said.
“It’s so bizarre,” Von said, referring to Netanyahu mentioning Mamdani by name. “Did it feel personal then?”
“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,” Mamdani said.
“It’s not about me and him. It’s about the fact that he’s the architect of a genocide,” he added. “And it’s like, ‘Yeah, if I was the architect of a genocide, I would probably talk about anything but that.’”
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Fox News’ Emma Bussey and Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.
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