Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday, after Mamdani renewed his accusations against the Israeli leader and again addressed the possibility of acting on an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
“Shame on you, Mr. Mamdani," Netanyahu said. “Shame on you for supporting the Hamas terrorist monsters who butchered our people. Shame on you for inciting riots against New York Jews."
Netanyahu added that he intends to respond further during his upcoming appearance at the United Nations.
“I'm coming to the UN. I'm going to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers, and I'm going to tell the truth about you," he said.
Netanyahu's remarks came after Mamdani described him as a “war criminal" in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Monday.
“When it comes to Benjamin Netanyahu, I have described him as I believe him to be a war criminal and an architect of a horrific genocide of the Palestinian people," Mamdani said.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in 2024 for Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alleging war crimes committed by Israel during its counterterrorism efforts against Hamas in Gaza.
During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani pledged that he would instruct the New York Police Department to arrest Netanyahu if the Prime Minister entered the city. He later acknowledged that the mayor of New York City does not have the legal authority to enforce an ICC arrest warrant and urged the federal government to act instead.
In his interview with Amanpour, Mamdani said he continues to believe that the ICC warrant should be honored.
“I do believe that that is something that should be honored, because what we want to see, and we’ve been talking about this today, is a faith in our politics, a faith in accountability," he said.
“If the International Criminal Court deems someone worthy of an arrest because of a violation of those laws, then who are we to say that anyone should be above that? And I think very clearly that everyone should be held accountable to it," Mamdani added.
With New York preparing for this week's United Nations General Assembly, Mamdani also said that he met with The Hague Mayor Jan van Zanen and discussed the importance of the rule of law.
Netanyahu is scheduled to address the UN on Thursday. Multiple demonstrations have been announced ahead of his appearance, though Mamdani has said he will not participate in the protests despite previously encouraging New Yorkers to take part in such demonstrations.