Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of “fomenting hate” after the mayor previously threatened to arrest him over an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.
Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Netanyahu said he would attend the UN General Assembly in New York later this year despite the earlier threat, adding that he was “not concerned” about Mamdani’s remarks.
Mamdani last week withdrew the threat, saying his administration had reviewed the law and concluded: “We do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant”.
Netanyahu criticised the mayor, saying: “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 Israeli leader also referred to two stabbings in New York on Thursday in which a suspect allegedly attacked a Jewish man and an Asian man several blocks apart. Police said the suspect shouted “Allahu akbar” during the attacks and has been charged with hate crimes relating to both victims.
Both men survived the attacks, which prompted condemnation from Jewish and Asian American community leaders.
In response to the incidents, Netanyahu said Jewish New Yorkers were “afraid right now.”
Terror Charges
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Mamdani, a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights, made opposition to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza a key part of his mayoral campaign and last week described Netanyahu as a “war criminal”.
During the campaign, Mamdani pledged to enforce the ICC’s 2024 arrest warrant for Netanyahu, which accuses the Israeli prime minister of committing war crimes in Gaza.
Israel has rejected the allegations, while Netanyahu has described the charges as “bogus”.
The war began after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Since then, more than 73,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, including more than 21,000 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The UN considers the ministry’s casualty figures to be reliable.