Photo by Navneeth Nalajala | The Triangle
As of January, the Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, has publicly demanded that the U.S. federal government honor International Criminal Court warrants and arrest Netanyahu if he enters the country. In a video that was posted on his social media accounts, he publicly condemned Netanyahu for inciting genocide against the people of Palestine.
Last Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in New York City to speak at the United Nations, while claiming that Mayor Mamdani has been spreading lies about Israel and painted him as antisemitic. He also said that Jewish New Yorkers did not feel safe with him in office, prompting dozens of UN Members to walk out in protest.During this speech, hundreds of people were simultaneously protesting against the prime minister and in support of Palestine, Iran, and other affected countries. During this, approximately one hundred people were arrested as they sat in the streets for over an hour vying for an end to the ongoing genocide. Among these detainees were actors Susan Sarandon, Hannah Einbinder, and Debra Winger, as well as comedian Caleb Hearon. Later that afternoon, thousands of protesters marched from Bryant Park to the United Nations Headquarters. Dozens of movements and groups marched together, led by the Palestinian Youth Movement. The message is clear from these New Yorkers: none of them want a war criminal with blood on his hands in their city.Mamdani later rebutted Netanyahu’s speech in another video, this time addressing the large spike in antisemitism that has grown within the past two years in the city. NYPD data showed an increase of 8 percent from January through August 2026 alone. His plan to combat this is to release the city’s first Strategy to Combat Antisemitism, with plans to increase security funds, cultural spaces, and educational support.
Netanyahu’s visit to New York revealed the growing political and social divide surrounding Palestine and Israel’s relationship with the United States. A number of New Yorkers have openly called for accountability and the end of a war their tax dollars are funding. They also claim that the rise in antisemitism shows that the lack of safety for Jewish New Yorkers is also an effect of the larger conflict. Mamdani’s new strategy to combat hate crimes is a way of addressing these concerns while maintaining the criticism of the Israeli government.