Israeli President Herzog blasts Mamdani, praises Trump, sounds alarm on Iran

JERUSALEM, Israel: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is spreading hateful and antisemitic rhetoric and endangering the lives of New Yorkers, Israeli President Isaac Herzog told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview at his Jerusalem residence.

"Mamdani does not respect my nation's right for self-determination… the Jewish people's inherent right to have a nation of their own. And he's basically spreading blasphemy, hate, antisemitic rhetoric. He should understand that he's risking his own citizens, he’s risking their safety, well-being and life," Herzog said.

In an incident that drew global attention, Mamdani posted a video on social media on July 21 in which he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "a war criminal" and "the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people."

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"This cannot be accepted in New York, which is a city which is dear to our heart, dear to the Israelis, and dear to me personally," Herzog said.

"I think New York will continue way after Mamdani. And I hope he won't create an irreversible damage," he added.

On Iran , Herzog said the regime has for decades posed a strategic threat to global stability, and not only to Israel and the Middle East.

"They take their people's food and money and spend it on terror all over the world. It's a given fact," he said. "You ask yourself why a nation of this nature wants to have so much terror activity around the world, and that is because of ideology… The ideology does not accommodate any other religion or moderate Islam, for that matter. That is why it is so dangerous," he added.

The United States and Israel launched a joint military campaign against the Islamic Republic on Feb. 28, dubbed Operation Epic Fury by the Trump administration and codenamed Operation Roaring Lion by Israel, before Trump announced a ceasefire on April 7.

Herzog said Tehran’s missile program, activities around the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear ambitions, domestic repression and support for regional terror proxies as evidence of the regime’s major threat to U.S. national security interests. He added that many Americans had been killed by the Islamic Republic.

As some leading political voices in the U.S. have questioned the relationship with the Jewish state, the president stressed the important ties that have made the relationship so important.

"We both drink from this set of values which was commanded to all of us by these historic spiritual books given to us by the Almighty," he said.

The Israeli president highlighted what he described as Trump’s deep support for the Jewish state, demonstrated through both words and actions.

He pointed to Trump’s 2018 decision, during his first term, to relocate the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, as well as his subsequent recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

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Herzog praised Trump’s "endless" backing of Israeli positions "in so many issues" and his "immense support and friendship with Israel," adding that the two countries still more often than not see "eye to eye."

Herzog credited Trump with helping secure the return of 255 hostages held by Hamas following the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. While acknowledging the efforts of many officials involved, he said Trump "put his foot down" and "pushed and negotiated brilliantly" to bring them home, adding that he had "huge respect" for the American leader.

That admiration among Israelis has not been diminished by any perceived political disagreements, Herzog said, adding that he believes the U.S.-Israel relationship transcends shifting attitudes and growing criticism of the Jewish state.

"I believe that there is something biblical and prophetic in the way our nations work together. And I truly believe that Israel should be a bipartisan issue of friendship and support," he added.

Herzog linked the reported decline in American support for Israel, particularly among younger people, to campaigns of well-funded disinformation on social media.

"It's very easy to smear Israel on TikTok, but that doesn't say the real truth. And I invite every young American to set foot in this country," he told Fox News Digital.

Herzog described Israel as a place where innovators flourish and great ideas are shared with the world, contributing enormously across fields including health, energy, science, agriculture and food security.

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"There's a reason why Americans who visit our country, young Americans, fall in love with this country. And my aim in this interview is to … take off the terrible mask which was placed on our face by terrible forces, some of them, of course, forces which work on it all the time to tell a distorted story."

"We're a nation seeking peace, we're a nation seeking innovation, we are a nation bringing ideas which will save humanity, and we are [a] nation trying to do good," he continued. "And I hope and pray that we will have peace with our neighbors in the entire region, with our Palestinian neighbors as well. But that requires that Israel will be accepted and people will understand that we have security needs."

Herzog addressed the House's recent passage of a $1.15 trillion annual defense policy bill, which largely split along party lines, with the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act receiving only six Democratic votes.

He described the development as a "red light," but said it does not signal the end of relations between the American and Israeli public or of bipartisan dialogue and support.

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"Exactly three years ago, I spoke in the American Congress in front of a joint session of the House, marking 75 years of Israel's independence, and I had almost 30 standing ovations," he said.

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