New York City is about to become the stage for one of the unusual diplomatic standoffs in recent memory.

Recently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the USA for the United Nations General Assembly and posted a video on social media before the visit, in which he directly addressed Mayor Zohran Mamdani and said, effectively, that he should be remorseful himself for accusing them of stoking hatred against Jewish New Yorkers. 

The exchange is the latest chapter in a feud that has been building for months and shows no sign of cooling down.

Netanyahu and Mamdani: How the Dispute Began 

During Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, the mayor continually argued that he should be arrested if he ever visited New York. That became the reason for the dispute between the two men and was tied to the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in November 2024, which accused him of war crimes, such as starvation as a method of warfare and directing attacks against civilians, along with several crimes against humanity. However, Israel fully rejected the warrant and claimed the court was unjust and the charges were baseless.

As Netanyahu’s expected September visit for the General Assembly drew closer, Mamdani released a video message on the city’s official channels calling the Israeli leader a war criminal and describing him as the architect of what he called a horrific campaign against the Palestinian people. In the same video, though, Mamdani made a notable reversal. He admitted that his administration had reviewed every legal option available and concluded that New York City........

© Paradigm Shift