AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Zohran Mamdani, the Mayor of New York, announced that despite his explicit and constant criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu, he does not intend to participate in protest demonstrations against the presence of the Zionist regime's Prime Minister at the UN General Assembly. However, he emphasized his firm support for the right of New York citizens to express opposition to Israel's actions in Gaza.
This decision comes as Netanyahu's presence in New York to speak at the UN on September 24 has become a focus of political tensions. Netanyahu, who faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes in Gaza, faces a wave of public anger in New York that is expected to lead to widespread protests.
Mamdani, considered the first Muslim mayor of New York, rejected rumors that he encouraged citizens to protest and considered his previous statements merely a confirmation of the people's legal right to hold gatherings. He emphasized that he distinguishes between "recognizing the right to protest" and "calling for it," and considers respect for freedom of expression his legal duty.
Mamdani's positions in recent months have made him one of the prominent American critics of Netanyahu. He has called the Israeli Prime Minister a "war criminal" and described Israel's campaign in Gaza as genocide; accusations that have provoked sharp reactions and led the Likud Party to place his image alongside the leaders of Iran and Turkey on billboards.
Given New York's diverse demographic composition and the presence of large Jewish, Muslim, and Palestinian communities with conflicting views, Netanyahu's upcoming trip has become a difficult test for Mamdani's city management.
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