Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to use his address to the United Nations to attack New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, in a public clash that underlines the Israeli prime minister’s growing international isolation ahead of a potentially difficult election at home.
Netanyahu is making his first visit to New York since Mamdani took office in January. He is expected to deliver his speech on Thursday before returning to Israel, in an unusually brief visit to the United States.
In a video statement this week, Netanyahu said he was travelling to New York “to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers” and “to tell the truth about you”. He also falsely accused Mamdani of supporting Hamas militants.
Mamdani campaigned for office on a pledge to have Netanyahu arrested for alleged war crimes if he visited the city, although he later said he had concluded that he did not have the legal authority to do so.
This week, Mamdani described Netanyahu as “the architect of a horrific genocide against Palestinians”. Netanyahu rejects allegations of war crimes.
Netanyahu’s UN address expected to target domestic rivals
The speech is expected to be directed as much at Israeli voters as at the UN, with opinion polls suggesting that a general election on October 27 could bring an end to Netanyahu’s long hold on power.
Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador, said the address was likely to resemble a “campaign speech”. He suggested Netanyahu might be trying to win back voters who were considering supporting former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, his leading rival.
“Maybe he’s thinking, ‘If I can attack Mamdani and attack the Iranians, somebody who was wavering between voting for me and voting for (Gadi) Eisenkot may decide to vote for me’,” Mr Oren said.
Netanyahu is expected to meet some fellow world leaders during his visit, but no meeting with US President Donald Trump is planned.
The two men jointly launched a war on Iran on February 28, but later clashed after the US and Iran agreed to an interim ceasefire that Netanyahu opposed. The agreement angered many Israelis, while opinion polls indicated doubts about Mr Trump’s commitment to Israel’s security, despite his administration continuing billions of dollars in arms sales to the Israeli government.
Israel has faced mounting diplomatic isolation since beginning its war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attacks on Israel nearly three years ago.
Netanyahu is also unable to travel to many countries because of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued in 2024 against him, his defence minister and the leader of Hamas.
