A brief history of Zohran Mamdani and Benjamin Netanyahu’s relationship

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will arrive in New York City soon – and to the dismay of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, he won’t be met with a pair of handcuffs.

Netanyahu will address the United Nations Thursday at the organization’s 81st annual General Assembly. Mamdani has been an outspoken pro-Palestinian advocate for years, from co-founding a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter as a student at Bowdoin College, to sponsoring legislation in the state Assembly prohibiting not-for-profit organizations from participating in unauthorized support of Israeli settlements. Mamdani maintained his position while on the mayoral campaign trail, most notably calling for Netanyahu’s arrest in alignment with the International Criminal Court’s 2024 warrant. 

His election as mayor captured Netanyahu’s attention and criticism, with the Israeli leader most recently saying in a video that he would “tell the truth” about Mamdani during his UN address.

Ahead of that speech, City & State compiled a brief timeline of the two leaders’ public back-and-forth.

Sept. 22, 2023: Then-Assembly Member Mamdani protests Netanyahu’s speech at the 78th U.N. General Assembly outside the U.N.’s Headquarters, alongside members of Jewish Voice for Peace and other advocacy organizations.

Oct. 8, 2023: Mamdani posts on X about the Oct. 7 attacks. “I mourn the hundreds of people killed across Israel and Palestine in the last 36 hours,” he wrote. “Netanyahu’s declaration of war, the Israeli government’s decision to cut electricity to Gaza, and Knesset members calling for another Nakba will undoubtedly lead to more violence and suffering in the days and weeks to come. The path toward a just and lasting peace can only begin by ending the occupation and dismantling apartheid.” Mamdani later participated in a five-day hunger strike outside of the White House advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza.

July 23, 2024: Mamdani posts on X supporting Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nydia Velázquez’s boycott of Netanyahu’s address to Congress “after killing 40,000 Palestinians.”

Dec. 2, 2024: Now a longshot candidate for New York City mayor, Mamdani says during an interview on the campaign trail that if elected, the city would arrest Netanyahu if he visits. Throughout the campaign, Mamdani continues to criticize Netanyahu in public posts and statements, accusing him of war crimes, citing starvation and blocked aid to Gaza.

July 8, 2025: Soon after Mamdani’s primary win, Netanyahu tells reporters he’s “not concerned” about Mamdani’s pledge to arrest him, calling the vow “appalling” and “not serious.” 

July 21, 2025 (filmed July 8): Netanyahu calls Mamdani’s proposed policies for New York City “nonsense,” in an interview on the Full Send podcast and predicted Mamdani would likely only serve one term if victorious in November’s general election.

Sept. 12, 2025: Mamdani reaffirms that if elected he would order the New York City Police Department to arrest Netanyahu, having him apprehended at the airport if he were to visit the city.

Sept. 26, 2025: The last time Netanyahu spoke at the United Nations, again during the General Assembly. Mamdani posts on X: “As Netanyahu addresses the United Nations in New York City this morning, the world recoils in horror at the ongoing genocide in Gaza.” Then-Mayor Eric Adams attended the speech in person, as a gesture of support.

Nov. 16, 2025: In an ABC7 appearance, mayor-elect Mamdani doubles down on arresting Netanyahu.  

Dec. 3, 2025: In an interview at The New York Times DealBook Summit, Netanyahu reaffirms he would come to New York regardless of Mamdani’s threat, and suggested he’d meet with Mamdani if he “changes his mind” and says Israel has a right to exist. When asked that question before at a primary debate, Mamdani had said that he supports Israel as a “state with equal rights,” later saying in a Fox 5 interview, “I’m not comfortable supporting any state that has a hierarchy of citizenship on the basis of religion or anything else.”

July 7, 2026: Netanyahu responds to how Mamdani answers that question with fervent disagreement. “He conveniently forgets that the only democracy in the Middle East is Israel. 20% of our citizens are in fact Muslims … that’s the only place in the Middle East where you actually have this equality that he’s talking about … it’s ridiculous, it’s absurd,” Netanyahu said, calling Israel an “imperfect Democracy.” 

July 18, 2026: Mamdani tells the Times that his administration is involved in ongoing conversations with the city’s Law Department about whether he had the authority to arrest Netanyahu. When asked what would happen if Netanyahu came to New York in September for the U.N. General Assembly, Mamdani said the following: 

“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court. And what you will find is that is an opinion that is held by many purely because of what his actions have wrought over these last many years. I’ve also said that I will follow the laws that we have here in New York City because I believe that there’s an importance in following the law as a leader who presides over our city. And that’s something that I plan to do.” 

July 21, 2026: Mayor Mamdani issues a video address on X calling Netanyahu a “war criminal” and “the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.” Mamdani cites the targeting of neonatal care centers, as well as the blockage of humanitarian aid and other United Nations findings. He admits that his administration doesn’t have the authority to execute the warrant, but calls on the U.S. government to pursue Netanyahu’s arrest. “I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant,” Mamdani said. “And I want to be equally clear: Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at-large.” 

A day later, the Times reports that when Mamdani said in the Times interview that he was still looking into options, he had already been advised by lawyers that he didn’t have the authority to arrest Netanyahu.

Sept. 4, 2026: Netanyahu posts an AI video showing Mamdani on the phone with Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Iranian leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. The group is shown celebrating the idea of Netanyahu’s election loss – he is currently running for reelection. The prime minister's Likud Party has also included an image of Mamdani with the world leaders on campaign posters around Israel.

Sept. 21, 2026: Mamdani doubles down on his previous comments calling Netanyahu a war criminal in a CNN interview. 

Sept. 22, 2026: In advance of his New York visit for the General Assembly, Netanyahu issues a video statement on X firing back at Mamdani and accusing him of supporting Hamas, which Mamdani has condemned. “Shame on you, Mr. Mamdani. Shame on you for supporting the Hamas terrorist monsters who butchered our people. Shame on you for inciting riots against New York Jews. I’m coming to the U.N. I’m going to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers, and I’ve got to tell the truth about you,” he said. Mamdani responded the same day, calling Netanyahu’s comments “not true,” once again mentioning Netanyahu’s ICC warrant and calling him a war criminal and architect of genocide.