Mamdani made the remarks in an extensive interview on the American podcast This Past Weekend, hosted by Theo Von, a well known comedian and podcaster who regularly interviews public figures.
"Jewish New Yorkers should feel cherished and celebrated in the most Jewish city in America," Mamdani said as he unveiled a plan to combat antisemitism in New York City.
Netanyahu accused the New York mayor of antisemitism and support for Hamas, also citing his wife's social media activity; as Netanyahu took the podium, Mamdani posted a video planting an olive tree with Palestinian families
Mamdani told CNN that he believes Netanyahu to be "a war criminal and an architect of a horrific genocide," and acknowledged that he lacks the authority to arrest him.
Mamdani said he had been in contact with the New York Police Department ahead of the General Assembly week and that "right now, there are no expected threats that we know of."
Despite past criticisms of Mamdani for choosing to associate with select sects of Judaism, both rabbis told The Jerusalem Post that “there was tremendous diversity around the table.”
Rabbis at the roundtable told The New York Times that some urged Mamdani to focus on New York issues, warning that his rhetoric against Israel 'creates an environment that a lot of Jews feel vulnerable in'
Speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu was responding to Mamdani's statements last week that the city lacks the authority to execute an International Criminal Court warrant for the prime minister's arrest. The prime minister also accused Mamdani of supporting genocide
Mamdani insisted he was referring to “not solely AIPAC,” but he singled out AIPAC again in his Monday remarks to reporters, saying the lobbying group was backing “a status quo for immorality."
The meeting came after the annual Israel Day Parade faced scrutiny for the participation of far-right ministers, which Mamdani refused to march in, making him the first mayor of the city to do so in 60 years
The parade is widening a rift between mayor Mamdani and mainstream Jewish groups in the city, as he breaks with over 60 years of mayoral tradition in not attending ■ A record size Israeli delegation seeks to bolster Israel's image in the U.S.
When asked how the Mamdani administration defines antisemitism, MOCA executive director Phylisa Wisdom said: “Across city government, there is not a definition codified for any form of hate at all.”
WZO chair Yaakov Hagoel also stated during the interview that he planned on reiterating the invitation in-person if he is able to meet with Mamdani in New York during an upcoming visit.
Mamdani signed the order at an annual interfaith breakfast marking the first public appearance of Phylisa Wisdom as director of the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism, an event also marked by a notable absence of major Jewish organizations
This demonstration will not only be the first major pro-Palestinian protest in NYC since Mamdani took office, but also follows a similar protest in November that shocked NYC.
Mamdani released a statement of his own, saying that “Catherine expressed her deep remorse over her past statements and tendered her resignation, and I accepted."
Trump's repeated praise of the incoming mayor punctuated the meeting, as Mamdani pledged to address living costs and antisemitism in the city, adding that even Trump voters told him they were 'tired of seeing tax dollars fund endless wars' and Israeli violations of human rights
"A Mamdani administration will refuse to recognize as antisemitism hate that vilifies and demonizes Jews on the basis of the Jewish people’s connection to Israel."