Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to arrest him over war crimes allegations tied to the conflict in Gaza, declaring that the mayor was sowing division among communities in the city. Netanyahu reaffirmed his plans to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York this September despite Mamdani’s statement that he is unwelcome in the city.
Mamdani, who has no legal jurisdiction to enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Netanyahu, nevertheless urged the federal government to take action. The mayor has been vocal throughout his campaign and tenure about his intent to use all available means to hold Netanyahu accountable for the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas’s deadly October 7, 2023, attack inside Israel.
Netanyahu accused Mamdani of fomenting hatred by attempting to pit religious and ethnic groups against one another. Speaking on Fox News, the prime minister emphasized that the mayor should represent all New Yorkers, including Jews, Christians, and Muslims. He dismissed the ICC’s war crimes charges against him as baseless and politically motivated, pointing to recent sexual misconduct allegations that led to the removal of the ICC’s top prosecutor as evidence of a wider attempt to divert attention from real issues.
The ICC has issued warrants against Netanyahu, his former defense minister, and the late Hamas leader for alleged crimes against humanity related to the ongoing conflict. The Palestinian health ministry reports that Israeli offensive operations in Gaza have resulted in more than 73,000 deaths, about half of them women and children. The initial Hamas attack inside Israel killed approximately 1,200 people, primarily civilians.
Netanyahu expressed concern about the potential erosion of bipartisan support for Israel within the United States, noting that many progressive Democrats who share Mamdani’s views diverge from the broader party consensus. He also warned about growing antisemitism in the U.S. and other Western countries, stating that many Jews in New York City—the second-largest Jewish population globally—feel increasingly uncomfortable amid current tensions.
Mamdani, in a recent video message, reiterated that neither Netanyahu nor any other individual accused of war crimes is welcome in New York. While reiterating the city’s commitment to protecting the right to protest, he called for federal intervention to enforce the ICC warrant, acknowledging the limitations of municipal authority.
Efforts to obtain comment from Mamdani’s office on Sunday were unsuccessful. The situation underscores deep divisions within U.S. politics over the Israel-Gaza conflict and raises questions about how local and national authorities will respond to international legal actions linked to the crisis.