Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a blistering rebuke of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Sunday, accusing the progressive Democratic leader of celebrating Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre and deliberately stoking antisemitism in a city that is home to the world’s second-largest Jewish population.
Speaking exclusively on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo, Netanyahu rejected Mamdani’s recent calls branding him a “war criminal” and declaring the Israeli leader “not welcome” in New York. Netanyahu vowed he will still travel to the city for the United Nations General Assembly later this year.
“He celebrated the Oct. 7 massacre, the worst massacre against Jews since the Holocaust,” Netanyahu said. “He’s basically supporting the Hamas murderers who raped our women, then beheaded them, burned babies alive, slaughtered our men, took innocent people hostages 251 men, women, children, babies. That’s who he’s supporting, and they’re the ones who are responsible for genocide.”
The prime minister linked Mamdani’s rhetoric to rising fear among Jewish New Yorkers and a recent stabbing of a Jewish man outside a Manhattan synagogue, noting the attacker reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar.”
“He’s supposed to be the mayor of all New Yorkers Jews, Christians, Muslims, everyone. But he’s trying to turn one group against the other, and he’s fomenting hate and fear,” Netanyahu said. “I speak to Jewish Americans in New York, and they’re afraid right now.”
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Wife’s Social Media History Draws Scrutiny
Netanyahu’s charge of celebration references earlier reporting on Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji. In early 2026, Jewish Insider and other outlets revealed that Duwaji liked Instagram posts on and immediately after Oct. 7, 2023, that framed the Hamas-led invasion positively. One post from the group Slow Factory showed images of the border breach and declared “Breaking the walls of apartheid and military occupation.” Another celebrated “resistance” and featured Palestinians on a captured IDF vehicle. She also liked content dismissing reports of Hamas sexual violence as a “mass rape hoax.”
The couple was not yet married at the time of the likes. Mamdani has defended his wife as “a private person” with no official role in City Hall and has repeatedly described the Oct. 7 attacks as a “horrific war crime” while focusing sharp criticism on Israel’s military response in Gaza, which he has called genocidal.
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Mamdani’s Arrest Threats and Progressive Record
Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist who took office as mayor in January 2026 after defeating more moderate candidates, has made opposition to Israel a signature issue. Last week he posted a video calling for federal authorities to enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Netanyahu even while conceding New York City itself lacks the legal authority to do so. The U.S. is not a party to the ICC and does not recognize its jurisdiction over Israeli officials.
Netanyahu dismissed the ICC charges as “bogus” and insisted the real genocide threat comes from Hamas and its backers.
Netanyahu Undeterred
Despite the mayor’s warnings, Netanyahu confirmed he intends to address the United Nations from New York as he has done for years. “I still intend to come to New York,” he told Bartiromo, framing the visit as a stand for the truth of the Jewish people and Israel’s right to defend itself.
The exchange underscores deepening tensions between Israel’s government and a rising generation of progressive American politicians who have shifted sharply against the Jewish state in the years since the Oct. 7 atrocities. Jewish community leaders in New York have expressed growing alarm over street-level antisemitism, campus radicalism, and political rhetoric that many say legitimizes hatred under the guise of criticism of Israel.
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Netanyahu’s appearance comes as Israel continues military operations against Iranian-backed threats and works to return remaining hostages while rebuilding after the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
