Netanyahu accuses Mamdani of fomenting hate over arrest threat

Benjamin Netanyahu said he plans to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York City this autumn, despite Zohran Mamdani’s threat to arrest him over an International Criminal Court warrant. The Israeli prime minister called the ICC war-crimes charges against him “bogus” and accused the New York City mayor of “fomenting hate.”

Mamdani later walked back the threat after acknowledging that he lacked the legal power to arrest Netanyahu. The dispute turned on jurisdiction: New York City does not have the independent authority to enforce an ICC warrant, and Mamdani instead urged U.S. federal officials to act. The United States is not a signatory to the court, which leaves the warrant outside the reach of City Hall.

The ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu, then-Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif. That background matters in New York, where Netanyahu has long been a familiar presence at the annual UN gathering at United Nations headquarters in Manhattan. Any confrontation over the warrant would unfold in a setting built around diplomacy, security and the symbolic weight of world leaders gathering under one roof.

Mamdani had renewed the call in a video posted on social media, describing Netanyahu as a “war criminal” and urging the federal government to enforce the warrant instead of the city acting alone. The comments drew sharp criticism from Israeli officials, Republicans and some fellow Democrats. Senator John Fetterman called Mamdani a “clown” over the arrest threat, while Representative Ro Khanna echoed calls for Netanyahu’s arrest.

The episode has become a test case in the wider U.S. fight over Israel, free speech and public order. It also clarified the limits of local authority in a city that often hosts the most sensitive diplomatic traffic in the country, where the mayor can shape rhetoric but not override federal law or international jurisdiction.