Netanyahu-Mamdani Feud Intensifies Before U.N. Address

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has escalated his public feud with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani ahead of Netanyahu’s planned address to the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Netanyahu accused Mamdani of supporting Hamas and inciting violence against Jewish New Yorkers, while Mamdani rejected the accusations, noting that he has condemned Hamas and called the Oct. 7, 2023, attack a horrific war crime. Reporting indicates increased antisemitic incidents and pro-Palestinian demonstrations in New York, but no documented riots targeting Jewish New Yorkers linked to Mamdani. Mamdani continues to criticize Netanyahu over the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity, while acknowledging that he lacks the authority as mayor to arrest him; Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon urged him to focus on governing New York. Netanyahu is shortening his U.S. visit by dropping a planned stop in Texas and departing after the U.N. address; no meeting with President Donald Trump has been announced. Separately, Netanyahu’s office condemned French President Emmanuel Macron for saying Hamas has never been active in the West Bank, citing the recent killing of a French-Israeli citizen there as evidence of Hamas attacks.