Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen is defending New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video attacking the mayor ahead of his appearance at the United Nations General Assembly. Van Hollen accused Netanyahu of lying about Mamdani before calling the Israeli leader a “wanted war criminal” and saying he was “lucky” to have been allowed into the United States.
Van Hollen’s remarks quickly generated polarized reactions in the comments below, with some applauding the senator for confronting Netanyahu while others accused him of ignoring criticism surrounding Mamdani and Hamas.
The video was posted to the social media platform X and features the senator speaking directly at the camera, with his first statement being, “I just wanted the video released by Prime Minister Netanyahu about Mayor Mamdani. The first thing everybody should know is that Prime Minister Netanyahu is a chronic liar.“
Netanyahu recently released a video accusing Mamdani of supporting Hamas and inciting violence against Jewish New Yorkers. He also said he intended to address Mamdani’s criticism during his upcoming appearance before the United Nations General Assembly.
Mamdani has been a vocal critic of Netanyahu and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, previously calling the prime minister a “war criminal” as well. The mayor has also called on the federal government to join the International Criminal Court and enforce its warrant against Netanyahu, while acknowledging that New York City itself does not have the independent authority to carry out such an arrest.
Van Hollen also accused Netanyahu’s government of blocking accountability for American citizens killed in the West Bank by Israeli settlers or security forces. Lastly, you can hear him end the video with, “Because of his crimes, there are many countries that don’t allow him to cross their borders. The prime minister is lucky that the United States has let him cross our borders.”
Comments and Reactions to Chris Van Hollen Calling Out Benjamin Netanyahu
Several commenters strongly supported Van Hollen’s criticism of Netanyahu, with one person writing, “the Democrats had nominated someone like you for president, I would have had the pleasure of voting for someone like you. Thank you Senator for standing for what its right.“
Others were far less receptive and instead questioned the senator’s credibility. “The creepiest part of this is that before he started talking, he had that look on his face like he was forcing a frown because he’s acting. How creepy is that? Sorry, I don’t listen to liars,” wrote another user.
Overall, the responses remained sharply divided between those supporting Van Hollen’s confrontation with Netanyahu and those questioning either the senator himself or the international legal case against the Israeli prime minister.
