Ahead of his diplomatic journey to the US to attend the UN General Debate this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a fierce attack on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, vowing to show his true colors when he takes on the stage Thursday.
"Shame on you, Mr. Mamdani. Shame on you for supporting the Hamas terrorist monsters who butchered our people. Shame on you for inciting riots against New York Jews. 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 stated in a video addressing Mamdani on X.
Video: Netanyahu's video message to Mamdani / Credit: X/@netanyahu
The paramount diplomatic gathering commences on Tuesday, with the official agenda heavily focused on the Iranian conflict, the post-war management of Gaza, ongoing Palestinian diplomatic endeavors, and an emerging dispute regarding the institutional future of the international body itself.
The General Debate president will launch the proceedings before UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres steps up to the podium to deliver his ultimate address as secretary general.
With his address formally scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, the Israeli leader faces a severely compressed 24-hour window driven by impending domestic elections and the Jewish High Holy Days. Upon landing in the US late Wednesday night, he is expected to conduct a small number of exclusive diplomatic summits, give his speech, and immediately depart for Israel that same evening.
While his planned remarks remain strictly undisclosed, intense global scrutiny is fixed on the atmosphere both on the city streets and inside the main assembly hall. During his speech the previous year, dozens of foreign delegates executed a highly coordinated exit from the chamber in protest.
According to Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the international forum, "another show" of defiance could unfold this year, though he maintained that Netanyahu remains fully prepared to deliver his message regardless of such hostile interruptions.
The local political climate has also been notably stirred by Mamdani. The mayor previously urged activists in July to utilize their right to demonstrate, while publicly conceding his legal inability to arrest the visiting leader despite earlier election campaign vows to exercise the enforce warrant issued by International Criminal Court against Netanyahu. However, he has recently tempered his approach, clarifying that he will neither organize nor participate in the rallies himself, choosing instead to leave that decision entirely to the individual residents of the city.
