Benjamin Netanyahu says he will attend the UN General Assembly in New York despite Mayor Zohran Mamdani's earlier pledge to try to enforce an ICC arrest warrant. Mamdani later said his administration lacks the legal authority and urged federal authorities to act. The dispute has intensified after recent stabbings that targeted Jewish and Asian victims and amid ongoing, contested allegations of war crimes in Gaza.
Netanyahu Says He Will Attend UN Assembly, Accuses NYC Mayor Mamdani Of 'Fomenting Hate' After Arrest Pledge
[AFP via Getty Images]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he still plans to attend the UN General Assembly in New York this autumn, despite earlier comments from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani suggesting he would seek Netanyahu's arrest over an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.
Mamdani later acknowledged last week that his administration lacks the independent legal authority to detain Netanyahu on an ICC warrant and urged federal authorities to act instead. The mayor, a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights who made opposition to Israel's military operations in Gaza a prominent part of his mayoral campaign, has previously labeled Netanyahu a "war criminal."
Speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu said he was "not concerned" about Mamdani's earlier pledge and accused the mayor of "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," the prime minister said.
The dispute comes amid heightened tensions in New York following a pair of stabbings in which a suspect allegedly attacked a Jewish man and an Asian man on the same day. Police say the suspect shouted "Allahu akbar" during the attacks; both victims survived and the suspect has been charged with hate crimes related to each victim. Community leaders from Jewish and Asian American organizations condemned the attacks.
Netanyahu and Israeli officials reject the ICC allegations. Israel has denied charges that it committed war crimes in Gaza, and Netanyahu called the ICC charges "bogus." The Israeli military entered Gaza after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, an assault that Israeli officials say left about 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage.
Gaza has since experienced heavy casualties. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reports more than 73,000 people killed, including over 21,000 children — figures the United Nations has treated as reliable. Reporting on casualty figures in conflict zones can vary by source; this article attributes those numbers to the territory's health authority and notes the UN's assessment.
After The New York Times pressed Mamdani about his pledge, the mayor said his team reviewed the law and concluded: "We do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant." He reiterated his call for federal action and said, "Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City." The mayor's office did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.
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