Mamdani rejects Netanyahu’s accusation and reiterates his accountability case
Zohran MamdaniMayor of New York City, at a press conference
At a September 22 press conference, Zohran Mamdani rejected Netanyahu’s allegation that he had incited riots against Jewish New Yorkers and cited the ICC warrant and his characterization of Netanyahu’s conduct to defend his accountability campaign. The underlying allegations are recorded as Mamdani’s attributed statements.
“We all know that what the prime minister has said in that video is not true. What we do know to actually be the truth when it comes to the prime minister is that he is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. As the prime minister, he is the architect of a horrific genocide against Palestinians.”
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Is Mamdani's campaign against Netanyahu's UN visit fomenting hate, or is it accountability for war crimes?
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has repeatedly called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "war criminal" and the "architect" of what he calls a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, citing the International Criminal Court's 2024 arrest warrant against Netanyahu. In July 2026, Mamdani said his administration had reviewed the law and concluded New York City lacks independent legal authority to execute the warrant, and called on the federal government to do so instead. Netanyahu has responded by accusing Mamdani of "fomenting hate" and, more recently, of supporting Hamas and inciting unrest against Jewish New Yorkers, citing a stabbing of a Jewish man in an Upper West Side attack. The dispute has continued through September 2026 as Netanyahu traveled to New York for the UN General Assembly, with Israeli officials accusing Mamdani of inciting chaos and Mamdani declining to join planned protests against Netanyahu while maintaining his position on the arrest warrant.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Politico reported directly attributed comments by Mamdani at a September 22 press conference responding to Netanyahu’s video. The article records Mamdani’s characterizations and references to the ICC warrant; it does not independently establish the underlying allegations he made.
Reporting
About this source
CBS New York independently reported Mamdani’s September 22 press-conference response to Netanyahu and quoted his references to the ICC warrant and his characterization of Netanyahu. The report is corroboration of the attributed response, not verification of the underlying allegations.
Before the quotation
Netanyahu had released a video ahead of his UN visit accusing Mamdani of supporting Hamas and inciting riots against Jewish New Yorkers.
After the quotation
Politico and CBS New York independently reported the press-conference response. A primary City Hall release or complete video of the press conference was not located during this review.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Mamdani does more than reject Netanyahu’s accusation: he affirmatively defends his accountability campaign by citing the ICC warrant and restating his characterization of Netanyahu.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Benjamin Netanyahu
More from this case
Read the full caseHochul says Netanyahu hurt his own credibility by accusing Mamdani of supporting Hamas
“I have enormous disagreements with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and this is added to the list The mayor has never said he supports Hamas. He has called them a terrorist organization, exactly at odds with what Netanyahu just said. So he has hurt his own credibility”Read statement
Mamdani calls Netanyahu's United Nations remarks "baseless lies"
“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.”Read statement
Netanyahu says Mamdani tried to silence him at the United Nations
“Mr. Mamdani, you tried to stop me from coming here. … You tried to silence me. Well, you can't silence me. You can't silence the truth. … Israel didn't commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide. And that's exactly what Mr. Mamdani's Hamas buddies would have done to us had we not stopped them.”Read statement
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- Mamdani rejects Netanyahu’s accusation and reiterates his accountability case
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The Dispute Index. "Mamdani rejects Netanyahu’s accusation and reiterates his accountability case". First published: 2026-09-23. Last updated: 2026-09-23. https://disputeindex.com/events/1534-at-a-september-22-press-conference-zohran-mamdani