NYC Mayor Mamdani Calls Netanyahu's UN Criticism 'Strange'

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to call him out by name during a United Nations General Assembly address in late September as "strange." Mamdani made the comments during an appearance on podcaster Theo Von's show.

Netanyahu, in his UN speech, criticized Mamdani, accusing him of spreading "lies" about Israel and attempting to prevent him from speaking in New York. "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," Netanyahu stated.

Mamdani, who had previously pledged during his mayoral campaign to have Netanyahu arrested and later urged the U.S. government to enforce an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), said he was meeting with the prime minister of the Netherlands when he learned of Netanyahu's remarks.

"It was strange," Mamdani told Von. "I mean, I was — I was having a meeting with the prime minister of the Netherlands at the LGBTQ center in downtown Manhattan. Then I get back from that meeting, and it's like, ‘Oh, by the way, here's what he was saying at the UN.’"

Mamdani suggested Netanyahu's criticism was a tactic to deflect from his own actions. "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."

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024, alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity. Netanyahu and the Israeli government have rejected these allegations and contested the court's jurisdiction.

Mamdani told Von that if he had his way, the U.S. government would have joined the ICC and honored its warrants. "If I had my say, the U.S. government would have joined the ICC, honored every single warrant that they've issued," Mamdani said.