Israel’s representative at the United Nations sharply criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday, calling him a “clown” after Mamdani urged federal officials to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he comes to New York.
Ambassador Danny Danon’s comments followed Mamdani’s accusation that Netanyahu is a “war criminal” and the “architect of a horrific genocide” against Palestinians, along with his demand that the U.S. government act on an International Criminal Court arrest warrant targeting the Israeli prime minister.
Netanyahu is expected to travel to Manhattan in September to speak before the United Nations General Assembly.
Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon addresses an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting on Lebanon at U.N. headquarters in New York on Mar. 31. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)
“Those baseless remarks about harassing the prime minister — it’s a joke, and he’s a clown,” Danon told INC News on Wednesday.
Danon dismissed the mayor’s remarks as political theater, saying, “Everyone knows it’s a show. It’s a stunt.” He argued that New York City’s mayor should focus on local challenges such as homelessness, sanitation and public safety rather than wading into foreign policy. Danon also said Mamdani’s priority should be protecting New Yorkers, particularly the city’s Jewish community amid rising concerns over antisemitism.
The New York City Mayor’s Office posted a video to its YouTube channel on July 21 titled, “Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal.”
In the video, Mamdani repeated language he previously used in an interview with The New York Times, saying, “Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.”
Mamdani leveled a series of allegations against the Israeli leader, claiming he was “responsible for the killing of more than 73,000 people, for the maiming of tens of thousands of children, as those who survive undergo amputation without anesthesia.”
He also accused Netanyahu of targeting neonatal hospitals and maternity care centers and alleged that he blocked food and humanitarian aid.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to reporters during a news conference in New York on Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
“Just last month, the U.N. confirmed that Palestinian children continue to be deliberately targeted and killed by Israeli armed forces, more than eight months after the so-called ceasefire,” Mamdani said.
“All as we, as Americans, pay for the bombs that do the killing. There is a reason the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest.”
Danon pushed back sharply against the mayor’s accusations.
“There is a lot of humanitarian aid coming into Gaza every day,” Danon argued.
“Nobody speaks about those issues anymore, but he wants to resume spreading blood libels, promoting the claims of genocide, starvation and all those lies that were spread by him, by his wife and by other people during the war.
“He wants to go back to this situation, but today there are no humanitarian issues in Gaza,” Danon added.
“Mamdani continues to promote those blood libels against Israel and against the Jews.”
Mamdani also said that City Hall cannot act on the warrant unilaterally.
“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant,” Mamdani said.
“Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said his administration is exploring whether the city has legal authority to arrest Netanyahu, pictured here, if he visits for the U.N. General Assembly. (Ronen Zvulun/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Israeli officials strongly deny all charges. Netanyahu’s office has rejected the ICC’s jurisdiction, labeling it “a kangaroo court that has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis.”
“People are smart; they know there’s no legal basis for his remarks,” Danon said. “The U.S. is not part of the ICC. There is no warrant that is actually effective against the prime minister in the U.S. So it’s a political stunt.”
“We have serious issues to deal with — the war with Iran and other critical matters.
“The prime minister is not actually dealing with Mamdani’s remarks at all. He said it very clearly: He intends to come and speak at the U.N.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu will come to New York and will speak in the General Assembly,” Danon said. “The only thing the mayor can do is come to the U.N., grab a seat, listen to the Prime Minister and maybe learn something from his speech.
“Last year, Mayor Adams came to the prime minister’s speech,” Danon noted. “A local leader can come and hear. That’s the only thing he can do.”
