Netanyahu expected to criticise New York mayor in UN address ahead of Israeli election
Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to address his dispute with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the UN as polls suggest he could lose Israel’s election in five weeks.
New York, United States. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to criticise Mayor Zohran Mamdani in a UN address on Thursday over Mamdani’s description of him as a war criminal. The dispute comes as opinion polls suggest an Israeli general election five weeks away could end Netanyahu’s long hold on power.
Dispute with the mayor
In a video statement this week addressed directly to Mamdani, Netanyahu said he was going to New York “to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers” and “to tell the truth about you.” He also falsely accused Mamdani of supporting Hamas militants.
Mamdani campaigned on a promise to have Netanyahu arrested for alleged war crimes if he visited the city, but later said he had determined he lacked the legal authority to do so. This week, Mamdani called Netanyahu “the architect of a horrific genocide against Palestinians.” Netanyahu rejects war crimes allegations.
This will be Netanyahu’s first visit to New York since Mamdani took office in January. Israelis opposed to Netanyahu’s right-wing government are planning to protest in the city.
Election backdrop
The election campaign is unfolding amid mounting criticism of Israel’s Gaza war and without a planned meeting between Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.
“He’s not really speaking to the UN, he’s speaking to the Israeli public,” said former Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, who expects the address to resemble a “campaign speech.”
Oren suggested Netanyahu may hope that attacks on Mamdani and Iran will persuade voters wavering between him and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, his leading rival.
Short visit and planned meetings
Netanyahu is making an unusually short US visit. He is expected to arrive early Thursday and fly back after delivering his speech that afternoon.
Netanyahu’s office said he would meet the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Panama and Ethiopia, the vice president of Colombia, and the prime ministers of Greece, Slovenia and Papua Guinea. It did not say whether meetings with US officials were planned.
Two Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, earlier said Netanyahu’s team was discussing possible meetings with senior US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but that nothing had been set.
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