Netanyahu Blasts NYC Mayor Over Arrest Calls as Jewish Community Fears Grow

A Clash Between Two Cities — and One ICC Warrant

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of "fomenting hate" after the mayor called for the enforcement of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant if Netanyahu travels to the city for the United Nations General Assembly in September. The extraordinary public feud between a sitting foreign head of government and an American city mayor has quickly escalated beyond a legal dispute, touching raw nerves around antisemitism, political rhetoric, and the limits of local authority.

Speaking on Fox News Channel's "Sunday Morning Futures," Netanyahu said, "He's supposed to be the mayor of all New Yorkers — Jews, Christians, Muslims, everyone," and accused Mamdani of "supporting the Hamas murderers." Despite Mamdani's repeated insistence that the Israeli leader is not welcome in New York, Netanyahu vowed to attend the United Nations General Assembly to "speak the truth" and defend Israel and its ties to the United States.

The Mayor's Position — Bold Rhetoric, Limited Power

Mamdani has acknowledged that New York City does not have the legal authority to execute the ICC warrant but has urged the federal government to enforce it. In a video message, Mamdani declared, "Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large," while also telling New Yorkers that expressions of protest are something the city would "always respect."

Mamdani, a Muslim immigrant, vowed during his campaign to use the NYPD to arrest Netanyahu if he sets foot in the city again, citing the International Criminal Court's 2024 arrest warrant for the leader's alleged war crimes in Gaza — which the U.S. does not recognize. In late 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alleging "reasonable grounds" to believe the two men "bear responsibility for the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population." Netanyahu has called those charges "bogus."

A Stabbing, a Holy Day, and a Community on Edge

Netanyahu said, "They're afraid right now, and I don't think it's accidental that after [Mamdani] made this hate speech against Israel and against me, the next day, a Jew is stabbed coming out of a synagogue." He was referring to the stabbing outside a Manhattan synagogue on July 23, where authorities allege 51-year-old Raul Morales stabbed a Jewish man in the chest with a screwdriver while shouting "Allahu Akbar."

Netanyahu said that Jewish friends of his in New York have told him they are afraid to wear yarmulkes in public, suggesting it was "not accidental" that the stabbing occurred the day after what he called Mamdani's "hate speech." Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism — the largest Jewish denomination in the United States — released a statement criticizing Mamdani for his "fiery video," saying the mayor had created "an atmosphere in New York City that makes Jewish people feel less safe and puts us at risk." Rabbi Yosie Levine of the Jewish Center, the synagogue near the attack, said the stabbing on such a mournful holy day made it feel like "the evil we gathered to remember stopped belonging to the past."

What Happens When Netanyahu Arrives in September

Mamdani issued a video address conceding he did not have the authority to arrest Netanyahu, while also calling Netanyahu a war criminal and accusing him of orchestrating a genocide — and encouraged New Yorkers to protest instead. During last year's mayoral race, outside advisers reportedly told Mamdani to stop making publicly threatening comments about arresting Netanyahu, cautioning that focusing too much on the issue could put him in a politically risky situation.

The September UN General Assembly is shaping up to be a flashpoint. Netanyahu has made clear he will not be deterred, and Mamdani has made equally clear he intends to keep the pressure on federal authorities to act. With a city already shaken by a violent attack outside a synagogue, the weeks ahead will test whether New York's leaders — local and national — can separate legitimate political dissent from rhetoric that communities on the ground say is making them afraid to walk the streets.