Netanyahu says UN speech will defend Israel’s Gaza war and criticise New York mayor

New York, United States. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he would use his address to the United Nations General Assembly this week to defend Israel’s military actions against Palestinians and criticise New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Netanyahu’s planned UN address

Netanyahu is scheduled to speak at the UN General Assembly on Thursday.

In a brief video statement, he said: “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.”

Netanyahu accused Mamdani of supporting Hamas and of inciting riots against Jewish people in New York.

“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.”

Mayor’s criticism

Netanyahu’s comments followed remarks by Mamdani in an interview with CNN on Monday, in which the mayor described Netanyahu as “a war criminal and an architect of a horrific genocide of the Palestinian people”.

Mamdani had previously said he would arrest Netanyahu, while acknowledging that he did not have the authority to do so.

Some Republican opponents have accused Mamdani of antisemitism, citing his pro-Palestinian advocacy and criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Mamdani has condemned antisemitism and said criticism of Israel is wrongly conflated with antisemitism.

War in Gaza

The Hamas raid on Israel on October 7, 2023, killed about 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of another 251 people, according to Israeli authorities.

Israel responded with air and ground operations that it said were aimed at dismantling Hamas’ military and governing capabilities. More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health officials, whose toll does not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants.