New York Mayor Slams Netanyahu's UN Speech as 'Baseless Lies'

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of spreading "baseless lies" following a sharp critique by Netanyahu during his address at the United Nations General Assembly. Adams vehemently responded to Netanyahu's remarks, which criticized Adams for his "anti-Israel" stances. "As he has done time and again, Prime Minister Netanyahu used his UN speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitize the genocide he is committing against Palestinians," Adams stated. "No lie can change the fact that he is still subject to an ICC arrest warrant." Netanyahu had dedicated a portion of his UN speech to directly attacking Adams, asserting that many Jewish people in New York no longer feel as safe as they once did. The Prime Minister leveled several accusations against Adams, his wife, and associates regarding their statements and connections, directly telling Adams, "You tried to prevent me from coming here, you tried to silence me. You cannot silence me, you cannot silence the truth."

Earlier in the week, Adams had called Netanyahu a "war criminal." However, he acknowledged that contrary to his campaign statements, he lacks the legal authority to arrest the Prime Minister. "When it comes to Benjamin Netanyahu, I described him as I believe him to be, a war criminal and the architect of a terrible genocide against the Palestinian people," Adams said in a CNN interview. He added, "I truly believe that is something that should be upheld, because what we want to see is a commitment to our political values and a belief in accountability."

Adams also mentioned meeting with The Hague Mayor Jan van Zanen before the General Assembly to discuss the importance of the rule of law. "If the ICC determines that someone is worthy of arrest for violating these laws, who are we to say that someone should be above that? I think it is very clear that everyone should be held accountable," Adams concluded.