Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, on Friday accused socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani of inflaming anti-Israel sentiment ahead of next week’s General Assembly meeting, then trying to distance himself from those remarks.
In an interview with The Post, Danon described Hizzoner as “clever” but said Mamdani could not call for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrest and later object if protests erupted when that demand was not carried out.
“He’s very clever, but you cannot set the fire, then say this,” Danon said, referring to Mamdani’s recent effort to walk back comments that appeared to encourage people to take to the streets.
Mamdani said he had “never encouraged” protests during Netanyahu’s expected arrival in Manhattan on Wednesday, despite previously urging anti-Israel demonstrators to rally if he was unable to arrest the Israeli prime minister.
Asked on July 22 what he would do if an arrest did not happen, Mamdani replied, “I think one of the bedrocks of our city is protest.”
Danon said Mamdani had raised the issue publicly just months before the UN General Assembly was scheduled to convene.
“He actually set the fire by saying, ‘I will not allow [Netanyahu], he will be arrested,’ blah, blah, blah, blah,” Danon said.
As anti-Israel activists prepare to target Israel’s UN delegation, Danon said demonstrations opposing Mamdani are also beginning to take shape.
“The mayor has called for demonstrations. So we don’t know what to expect,” Danon told The Post.
“So far, though, I have seen, actually, demonstrations from the other side against the mayor.”
Roughly 150 people gathered outside Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s Manhattan residence, on Friday to protest what they described as Mamdani’s divisive conduct.
Large protests previously swept through Manhattan and the UN during Netanyahu’s address in 2025.
Danon characterized Mamdani’s apparent reversal as “too little, too late” and said the mayor’s responsibility is to protect residents and welcome visiting world leaders.
“I think the mayor maybe now is trying to amend the mistake. It’s too little, too late,” Danon said.
“He should have said from the beginning: Everyone is welcome to New York. We want you to feel safe in New York. That’s the responsibility of the mayor, not to say, ‘I don’t like Israel, and the prime minister should be arrested.’”
Danon also criticized Mamdani during a Thursday press conference, saying the mayor himself should face arrest before Netanyahu’s planned visit next week.
“[He made] this ridiculous claim that he can or he should arrest the prime minister,” Danon said, according to C-SPAN footage.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu will proudly address the General Assembly. He will do so despite threats, incitement and antisemitic rhetoric we have heard from the mayor of the city of New York,” Danon said, according to footage posted by Jewish Insider.
The mayor’s office did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
