Netanyahu attacks New York Mayor Zahran Mamdani and accuses him of anti-Semitism

(CNN) -- In the midst of an ongoing public row, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani, accusing him of anti-Semitism and "spitting in the face of the truth."

Netanyahu said: "Damn you! Damn you for distorting the facts. Damn you for reversing the roles between the victim and the aggressor. Damn you for spitting in the face of the truth, Mr. Mamdani. Since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York. They tell me this is not the city we remember."

Defending Israel's behavior during three years of war in Gaza, Netanyahu said: "Here is a simple fact: Israel did not commit genocide, but rather prevented it from happening; and this is exactly what Mr. Mamdani's allies in the Hamas movement would have done to us if we had not stopped them." An independent UN commission of inquiry, along with several human rights organizations, has accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians during the war in Gaza.

Earlier this week, Mamdani sharpened his criticism of Netanyahu, calling him a war criminal, even as he admitted that he did not have the authority to arrest the Israeli leader while he was in New York, despite his promise to do so during his election campaign.