Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make an appearance at the U.N. General Assembly despite New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani calling for his arrest.
“You know, it became very trendy to do politics by blaming Israel,” Ambassador Danny Danon said. “For us, it’s important the prime minister will come.”
Netanyahu is expected to arrive in New York the evening of September 23, address the U.N. General Assembly on the 24th, and fly back to Israel that night.
The Israeli prime minister told Fox News in July that he would be traveling to New York. “I’m going to speak the truth in front of this hate-spewing elected official who’s pitting one group of New Yorkers against the others. He’s turning them against New York Jews.”
“I mean, what are we, in the 1930s? What is this, you know? So much hate, so many lies,” he said.
Mamdani previously said that he believes Netanyahu is a “war criminal” who “belongs in The Hague.”
“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” he told The New York Times. “He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court, and what you will find is that is an opinion that is held by many, purely because of what his actions have wrought over these past many years.”
Mamdani made similar remarks during his mayoral campaign. “As mayor, New York City would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu. This is a city that our values are in line with international law. It’s time that our actions are also,” he said at the time. “It’s time that we actually step up and make clear what we are willing to do to showcase the leadership that is sorely missing in the federal administration.”
