Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of "fomenting hate" after Mamdani declared Netanyahu a war criminal and called on the federal government to arrest him should he visit New York for the United Nations General Assembly this autumn. Netanyahu, speaking on Fox News on Sunday, said he intends to attend the annual gathering of world leaders in September regardless, dismissing the threat as politically motivated.
The dispute centres on a 2024 arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Hague-based international tribunal, which accuses Netanyahu and his former defence minister of committing war crimes in Gaza. Mamdani, who made opposition to Israel's military campaign in Gaza a central element of his 2025 mayoral campaign, had initially pledged to enforce that warrant. Last week, however, he acknowledged that his administration had reviewed the law and found it lacked the independent legal authority to carry out an ICC arrest — a power that rests with the federal government. He nonetheless reiterated that Netanyahu was "not welcome" in New York City.
Netanyahu pushed back sharply, accusing Mamdani of seeking to divide the city along religious and ethnic lines. "He's supposed to be the mayor of all New Yorkers — Jews, Christians, Muslims, everyone," Netanyahu said. "But he's trying to turn one group against the other." He also referenced two separate stabbings in New York on Thursday, in which a suspect — who allegedly shouted "Allahu akbar" — attacked a Jewish man and an Asian man in incidents now being investigated as hate crimes. Both victims survived. Netanyahu said Jewish New Yorkers were "afraid right now," and warned that once-bipartisan political support for Israel in the United States was eroding as progressive Democrats increasingly align with Mamdani's position. The mayor's office did not respond to requests for comment.
Netanyahu dismissed the ICC charges against him as "bogus," pointing to the recent removal of the court's chief prosecutor over sexual misconduct allegations as evidence of institutional problems, and suggesting the warrant was designed to divert attention. President Donald Trump added his voice to the debate on Monday, posting on social media that Netanyahu "will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America."
The row reflects broader tensions over Israel's military campaign in Gaza, now in its second year following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which around 1,200 people — mostly civilians — were killed and 251 taken hostage. Gaza's health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations, says more than 73,000 people have since been killed in Israeli strikes, including over 21,000 children. Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Monday to meet with Trump and attend memorial services for Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent Republican and staunch ally of Israel who died suddenly on 11 July.