Netanyahu vows New York visit despite Mamdani arrest call

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he plans to address the United Nations in New York in September despite Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s call for him to be arrested under an International Criminal Court warrant tied to Israel’s war in Gaza.

Speaking Sunday on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, Netanyahu accused Mamdani of “fomenting hate” by saying the Israeli leader is not welcome in New York City.

“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.”

Netanyahu said he intends “to come and speak the truth – speak for Israel and for the Israeli-American alliance from the podium of the United Nations.” He also said Jewish Americans he speaks with are afraid, adding that in New York City, home to the second-largest Jewish population in the world, “Jews feel very uncomfortable.”

Mamdani said Wednesday that New York City does not have the legal authority to execute an ICC arrest warrant but urged the federal government to do so. During his 2025 mayoral campaign, he had said he would seek to direct city police to carry out the warrant.

“I want to be equally clear, Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large,” Mamdani said in a video message Wednesday. He also told New Yorkers that expressions of protest are something the city would “always respect.” His office did not immediately respond to The Guardian’s request for comment Sunday.

The ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza. The Hague-based court has also accused the late leader of Hamas of crimes against humanity. Netanyahu dismissed the charges Sunday as “bogus,” citing sexual misconduct allegations against the ICC’s top prosecutor, who was removed from that post Friday, and saying the warrant was an attempt to divert attention.

The war in Gaza began after Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. About 1,200 people, most of them civilians, were killed in the attack, according to The Guardian; Al Jazeera reported the toll as about 1,100. Gaza’s health ministry says more than 73,000 people have been killed in Israel’s offensive, roughly half of them women and children.

Netanyahu also accused Mamdani, his wife and family of having “celebrated” the Oct. 7 attack, a claim Al Jazeera described as false. Mamdani has repeatedly called the Hamas attack a “horrific war crime,” the outlet reported.

Public opinion over Israel and Netanyahu has become a prominent part of the dispute. Al Jazeera cited a June Associated Press-NORC survey of more than 1,000 Jewish adults in the United States that found 44% viewed Mamdani somewhat or very favorably, while 39% viewed him unfavorably. The same survey found about one-third viewed Netanyahu favorably and about six in 10 viewed him unfavorably. Al Jazeera also reported that 30% of Jewish adults surveyed said they believe Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, and that a YouGov poll published this week found 46% of people in the U.S. believe Netanyahu should be arrested, while 28% said he should not be.

Netanyahu said Sunday he is concerned that once-bipartisan U.S. political support for Israel is at risk, particularly among progressive and far-left Democrats aligned with Mamdani’s wing of the party. He also warned that any renewed Iranian attacks on Israel would be a “terrible mistake.”

Former President Donald Trump said Monday in a social media post that Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America.” Netanyahu is expected in Washington on Monday to meet Trump and attend funeral services for Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a strong supporter of Israel who died July 11 of a likely torn aorta. Netanyahu called Graham a “great patriot” and one of Israel’s “greatest friends.”