Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he is going to attend United Nations General Assembly in September after Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York City referred to him as a “war criminal” who needed to be behind bars for the actions in Gaza and threatened to have him arrested upon his arrival there.
“Look what he’s doing. He’s fomenting hate. He’s supposed to be the mayor of all New Yorkers, Jews, Christians, Muslims, everyone, but he’s trying to turn one group against the other,” Netanyahu accused during “Sunday Morning Futures” program on Fox News on 26th July (Sunday).
International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued arrest warrant against him on 21st November 2024, claiming that he was “responsible for the war crimes” after Isreal launched an offensive to target Hamas in Gaza following the massacre of its citizens in a series of attacks on 7th October 2023.
However, New York City does not have the legal authority to carry out an arrest warrant issued by ICC. Mamdani, who regularly vowed to try to get the police to impose the court’s directive during his election campaign, also acknowledged the reality and retracted his threat recently.
However, he urged the federal government to make a move in this regard. He has repeatedly insisted that Netanhayu was not welcome, but the latter declared that he will definitely address the annual UN gathering. “I’m not concerned (about him). I’ve appeared just about every year in my prime ministership, unless there are security conditions, but barring that, and I don’t expect that to be the case this time, yes, I do intend to come to New York,” Netanyahu outlined.
He also cautioned about growing antisemitism in the United States and other western nations, remarking, “Jews feel very uncomfortable,” when he talks to members of the community. He emphasised, “And I think it’s wrong, the whole thing is wrong.” New York City is home to the second-largest Jewish community worldwide.
According to Netanyahu, Jewish Americans residing there have informed him that they are feeling more fearful. “They’re afraid right now, and I don’t think it’s accidental that after he made this hate speech against Israel and against me, the next day, a Jew is stabbed coming out of a synagogue,” he highlighted.
Raul Morales (51) shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he stabbed a Jewish man in the chest with a screwdriver outside a synagogue in Manhattan. He also stabbed another 57-year-old Asian man while repeating the Islamic expression in a separate incident. “I think that it’s shameful. This thing is very bad for New York. I think it’s very bad for peace,” Netanyahu mentioned.
He also voiced concern that the once-bipartisan political support for Israel in the US is in jeopardy, especially because progressive and far-left Democrats have sided with the likes of Mamdani.
What did Mamdani say
“Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people,” Mamdani argued on 22nd July. He backed the ICC order but noted, “My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the international criminal court’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here. It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant.”
“The federal government, however, does – and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant. And I want to be equally clear: Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large,” Mamdani stressed. “While we cannot end the genocide on our own, we can decide whether our silence will become another weapon, and we can examine every tool we have to defend the humanity and dignity of all people,” he expressed.
Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal. pic.twitter.com/YRezmW6YVx
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 22, 2026
Mamdani earlier announced that he was considering his options and alleged, “I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” referencing the Dutch city that houses the court in a conversation with The New York Times video podcast “The Interview.” Notably, Washington is not a party to the ICC and rejects its authority.
Israel responds to Mamdani’s repeated threats
The office of Prime Minister of Israel dubbed the ICC as “kangaroo court that has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis” and underscored, “Its bogus arrest warrant against Netanyahu was issued by a disgraced former ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan, a few days before allegations of sexual misconduct against him became public. It was a clear attempt by Khan to divert public attention and seek protection from scrutiny.”
It contended that under Netanyahu, “Israel has taken unprecedented wartime measures to minimize harm to civilians while confronting Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization that uses Palestinians as human shields and deliberately targets innocent Israeli civilians.”
“Instead of backing Khan’s criminal behaviour, Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York. Like Karim Khan, Mamdani appears interested in diverting public attention from his follies and attacking the leader of the Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East,” it further charged.
The Prime Minister’s Office:
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) July 19, 2026
The ICC is a kangaroo court that has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis. Its bogus arrest warrant against Prime Minister Netanyahu was issued by a disgraced former ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan, a few days before allegations of sexual misconduct…
“Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” President Donald Trump likewise retorted. “He is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors, and has spent the last 47 years killing American Soldiers, and others. The only ones that should be arrested are the people that led Iran into this unprecedented spiral of death and destruction, something that should have been dealt with years ago, by previous presidents,” he added.
