‘Shame on you’: Why Netanyahu slammed Mamdani, wife Rama Duwaji in fiery UN speech. How NYC mayor reacted

Netanyahu called Mamdani "antisemitic" and referenced his wife's social media activity during his UN address, deepening a public feud ahead of elections in both New York and Israel.

4 min readSep 26, 2026 06:41 AM IST First published on: Sep 25, 2026 at 05:02 PM IST

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a device as he speaks speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters. (Photo: AP/File)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his roughly 40-minute address to the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday to launch a sustained attack on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. During the speech, Netanyahu labelled the mayor an antisemite and referenced his wife, Rama Duwaji.

The address, which drew protests both inside and outside the United Nations building, came as Netanyahu faces a tight re-election battle at home and continues to face an International Criminal Court warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza. Mamdani responded within hours, rejecting the claims made against him.

What did Netanyahu say about Mamdani?

“To all those that are spreading these lies about my country and about our brave soldiers, whether they sit in this hall or in the office of the antisemitic mayor of New York, I say this: Shame on you. Shame on you for distorting the facts,” Netanyahu told the assembly.

"Shame on you!"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu takes direct aim at Zohran Mamdani, calling the mayor of New York City an "anti-Semitic" and accusing him spreading lies about Israel and its soldiers."Shame on you for distorting the facts. Shame on you for inverting… pic.twitter.com/9EoLUj7u9e— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 24, 2026

Netanyahu said Israel had “prevented genocide” rather than committed one, and accused Mamdani of being aligned with Hamas, saying the group’s supporters would have killed Israelis had they not been stopped. Addressing the mayor directly, he added, “The lies you and other antisemites spread about the Jews and the Jewish state have real consequences.”

What did Netanyahu say about Mamdani’s wife?

Netanyahu also referenced Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, claiming she had liked a social-media post praising the October 7 massacre. He also pointed to Mamdani’s association with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, citing Piker’s past remark that “America deserved 9/11” and adding: “Some friends you have.”

Netanyahu to Zohran Mamdani:Mr. Mamdani, since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York.They tell me, "This isn't the city we remember. It changed so quickly." No, it's no wonder. You praise criminals convicted of supporting Hamas. You… pic.twitter.com/zu1y7NlEpr— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 24, 2026

Why was this significant?

• Netanyahu had previewed an attack on Mamdani before the speech, and several of the claims he raised, including those concerning Duwaji and Piker, had already been publicly reported.
• Netanyahu used the UN address to directly attack a sitting New York mayor, alongside his broader defence of Israel’s actions in Gaza and elsewhere.
• Netanyahu has increasingly used Mamdani as a political foil ahead of Israel’s elections next month, including featuring him in campaign advertising

How did Mamdani respond?

Mamdani, who has called Netanyahu a war criminal over Israel’s conduct in Gaza, issued a statement accusing Netanyahu of repeating “baseless lies meant to sanitise his genocide of Palestinians”.

Mamdani denies holding antisemitic views and says his administration has increased funding to combat hate crimes in the city. He largely stayed out of public view on the day of the speech, holding private meetings including with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten.

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Background to the feud

• Mamdani said in July he was looking into ordering Netanyahu’s arrest under the ICC warrant, before acknowledging he lacked legal authority to do so
• He has since called on the Trump administration to carry out an arrest, a request the administration has not acted on
• Netanyahu separately posted a video ahead of the UN trip accusing Mamdani and Duwaji of celebrating the October 7 attack, saying: “Shame on you, Mr. Mamdani. Shame on you for supporting the Hamas terrorist monsters who butchered our people.”
• Supporters of Mamdani joined a protest outside the UN that led to roughly 100 arrests, including New York congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier

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