Israel expects ‘intense’ protests during Netanyahu UN trip after Mamdani called for rallies

NEW YORK — Israel’s ambassador to the UN said that the mission was expecting “intense” protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appearance at the UN General Assembly later this month, after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani backed demonstrations against the premier.

“Mayor Mamdani, instead of uniting the city and making sure that it would be a smooth high-level week, he’s doing exactly the opposite by inciting and calling for people to demonstrate,” Danon told The Times of Israel in an interview. “I would advise Mayor Mamdani to focus on his responsibilities and tasks as a mayor and not to sow chaos in the city.

“We are aware of demonstrations that will take place and that the security measures will be appropriate,” Danon said. “I’m sure it will be more intense this year.”

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Mamdani had previously long promised to arrest Netanyahu if he came to the city, but acknowledged in July that, as mayor, he did not actually have the ability to do so.

While admitting he could not make the arrest, Mamdani made a series of incendiary accusations against Israel and encouraged protests against Netanyahu. Mamdani’s statement has been viewed hundreds of millions of times.

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Anti-Zionist activist groups in the city like the Palestinian Youth Movement and the People’s Forum have announced a “week of action” during the General Assembly targeting Netanyahu.

“We here in New York City reject Zionism and all who perpetrate it,” the groups said in a statement.

In addition to anti-Zionist protest groups, major Jewish organizations are planning a rally against antisemitism during the General Assembly.

Left-wing Israelis in the city also typically protest against Netanyahu’s domestic policies during his annual visit to the UN.

The General Assembly will take place amid several other developments at the UN, including a new initiative aimed at combating antisemitism and the election of the next UN secretary-general.

Israel’s UN mission on Wednesday announced the International Task Force to Combat Antisemitism at a launch event that included representatives from the US, the European Union, the UK, Australia, Argentina and Slovakia.

Danon called for an international commitment to combat antisemitism, citing a steep increase in anti-Jewish incidents in the seven countries that are home to the world’s largest Jewish populations.

The participating countries will cooperate “to identify emerging antisemitic threats, develop practical tools and policies, and coordinate diplomatic efforts,” Israel’s UN mission said.

“This mission is not the responsibility of Israel and the Jewish people alone. It is the responsibility of the entire international community,” Danon said.

Israel’s UN mission tied the initiative to the election of the next UN secretary-general, saying that combating antisemitism should be prioritized during the selection process, which is underway. The next secretary-general is expected to be appointed later this year.

Speaking to the Times of Israel last week, Danon said that Israel was meeting with the candidates who are vying to replace outgoing Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, but is not making any public endorsements.

Israel has had an adversarial relationship with Guterres, and Danon said he expected Guterres’s replacement to be an improvement.

“It cannot be worse than what we have now,” he said, referring to Guterres’s tenure. Danon said that Guterres had been “reasonable” during his first five-year term, but that once he was reelected to a second term, “He revealed his real face.”

Danon faulted Guterres for not visiting Israel after the October 2023 Hamas attack and “equating Israel to Hamas on many occasions.”

Guterres ignited outrage in Israel when he said, weeks after the Hamas attack, that the onslaught “did not happen in a vacuum.”

Despite the UN’s hostility to Israel, Danon said that on the sidelines, “Israel is being respected for being a strong country,” and hailed cooperation with nations like the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

“We can be proud of our achievements, even at the UN,” he said.

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