Netanyahu Tells NYC Mayor 'Shame on You'; Mamdani Calls Him 'Architect of Genocide'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani engaged in a fierce war of words.

In a 19-second video posted to X (formerly Twitter) on September 22 (local time), Prime Minister Netanyahu criticized Mayor Mamdani, saying, "Mr. Mamdani, shame on you. Shame on you for supporting the Hamas terror monsters who butchered our people."

He went on to warn, "Shame on you for inciting riots against the Jews of New York. I am going to the UN soon. I will tell the truth about our heroic soldiers, and I will tell the truth about you, too."

 
Netanyahu appears to have posted the video in response to an interview Mayor Mamdani gave to CNN the previous day, in which Mamdani called him an "architect of genocide."

Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on September 24.

In response, Mayor Mamdani held a press conference that day and retorted, "We all know that what that prime minister said in that video is not true."

He criticized Netanyahu, stating, "The clear truth that we know about that prime minister is that an arrest warrant has been issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is the architect of a horrific massacre against Palestinians, and just a few days ago, he killed an 11-year-old boy in an area considered a safe zone in the Gaza Strip."

Mayor Mamdani has been a vocal critic of Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip.

During his mayoral campaign, he had pledged to execute the ICC arrest warrant if Prime Minister Netanyahu visited New York.

However, under current U.S. law, the arrest and punishment of foreign leaders or heads of government fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government, and individuals visiting for UN events are guaranteed diplomatic immunity, meaning the New York City mayor cannot arrest them.

Furthermore, because the United States is not a party to the ICC, arrest warrants issued by the court have no legal force on U.S. soil.

Mayor Mamdani later acknowledged that the New York City mayor does not have the authority to execute an arrest warrant.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.