Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took direct aim at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during his UN General Assembly address on Thursday, accusing the socialist leader of making Jews feel unsafe in the city and attacking his criticism of Israel.
The exchange was the latest salvo in a months-long feud, after Mamdani made Netanyahu’s potential arrest a campaign promise and repeatedly condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza. In the latest escalation, Netanyahu also brought Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, into the confrontation, accusing her of liking social-media posts that praised the October 7 attack and called for Tel Aviv’s disappearance.
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“Your wife liked to post praising the October 7th massacre. She liked another post saying Tel Aviv shouldn’t exist,” Netanyahu continued. “You refused to condemn any of that. You falsely, repeatedly accuse Israel of genocide.”
The remarks referred to social-media activity of Rama Duwaji. According to conservative news outlet Jewish Insider, Duwaji liked several posts shared around the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, including one that described Palestinians breaching Israel’s border as “breaking the walls of apartheid”. Another post she liked showed Palestinians on a captured Israeli military vehicle with the caption, “Resisting apartheid since 1948.”
Duwaji also liked two posts supporting protests against Israel the day after the attack.
‘MANY JEWS NO LONGER FEEL SAFE’
Turning directly to the New York mayor, Netanyahu said Mamdani’s election had changed the atmosphere for Jewish residents of the city.
“Mr. Mamdani, since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York. They talk to me,” Netanyahu said. “They tell me this isn’t the city we remember. It changed so quickly.”
The Israeli Prime Minister’s remarks followed a months-long dispute with Mamdani, who campaigned for mayor while promising to have Netanyahu arrested for alleged war crimes if he visited New York.
Mamdani later said he had determined that he lacked the legal authority to make such an arrest. He has also repeatedly criticised Netanyahu over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and this week described him as “the architect of a horrific genocide against Palestinians.”
Netanyahu, in turn, has accused Mamdani of supporting Hamas.
NETANYAHU GOES AFTER MAMDANI’S ASSOCIATIONS
Escalating his attack, Netanyahu also questioned the people Mamdani has associated with and accused him of failing to condemn comments he considered supportive of Hamas.
“Now it’s no wonder you praise criminals convicted of supporting Hamas — you count as friends people like Hasan Piker, who said … America deserved 9/11. Some friends you have,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu also accused Mamdani of trying to prevent him from coming to New York for the UN General Assembly.
“Mr. Mamdani, you tried to stop me from coming here,” the prime minister said. “You tried to silence me. Well, you can’t silence me. You can’t silence the truth. And here is the simple truth … Israel didn’t commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide.”
“That’s exactly what Mr. Mamdani’s Hamas buddies would have done to us had we not stopped them,” he added. “They would have killed every last one of us.”
Broadening his criticism, Netanyahu accused Mamdani and others of contributing to an increasingly hostile environment for Jewish New Yorkers.
“The lies you and other anti-Semites spread about the Jews and the Jewish state have real consequences. In New York, Jews are threatened on the way to synagogue. Jews have been stabbed in the streets. Jews are daemonised, targeted. They’re targeted simply for being Jews,” Netanyahu also said.
Minutes after Netanyahu’s statement, Mamdani said: “As he has done time and again, Prime Minister Netanyahu used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians. Yet no lie can change the fact that he remains the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
UN DELEGATES STORM OUT
The clash with Mamdani unfolded against the backdrop of a dramatic walkout inside the UN General Assembly. A large number of diplomats left the chamber as Netanyahu began speaking. Representatives from Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority and other delegations were among those who exited.
At the same time, members of the US and Israeli delegations stood and applauded. Supporters in the balcony chanted “Am Yisrael Chai”, a Hebrew phrase meaning “The People of Israel live”. Netanyahu immediately turned the walkout into part of his speech.
“If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t yet left this hall, please do so now,” he said.
Moving from his confrontation with Mamdani to Israel’s broader regional battles, Netanyahu mounted a forceful defence of his country’s military actions against Iran. He also thanked the US President for joining Israel in confronting Iran.
– Ends
With inputs from agencies
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
