Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed his intentions to visit New York in September, undeterred by New York City Council Member Zohran Mamdani’s controversial demand for his arrest over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
During a conversation with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Netanyahu asserted, “First of all, I’m going to New York,” confidently dismissing Mamdani’s declaration last week that deemed him “not welcome” in the city. This reaction follows the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) issuance of an arrest warrant in 2024.
The prime minister vowed to address the situation head-on, saying, “I’m definitely going there,” and expressing his determination to confront what he described as a “hate-spewing elected official” intent on dividing New Yorkers.
Netanyahu specifically accused Mamdani of inciting his followers against the Jewish community in New York, framing the political figure as a source of discord.
“I mean, what are we in the 1930s? What is this?” he remarked, alluding to an era of intense prejudice. “You know, so much hate, so many lies, and you know the big lie is about the ICC … that’s a corrupt, evil organization,” he concluded, adamantly dismissing the allegations.
Mamdani, in a July 21 video statement, admitted that he doesn’t have the legal authority to arrest Netanyahu should he visit New York – but slammed him as an unwelcome “war criminal.”
The pro-Palestinian, socialist mayor further called on the Trump administration to enforce the ICC warrant and arrest Netanyahu, despite the US government not recognizing the international court’s authority.
Netanyahu said his visit to New York City would come in September, during the United Nations General Assembly meeting.
The Israeli leader was in Washington Tuesday for late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral.
Netanyahu praised Graham for being “absolutely unapologetic and unabashed in supporting the American-Israel alliance.”
“He believed that Israel’s security and America’s security were intertwined,” Netanyahu said, adding that Graham “couldn’t care about the winds of fashion.”
“He couldn’t care about social media and all these bots that try to play the American people for fools,” the prime minister continued. “He said you have one real ally in the Middle East and in the world, Israel.”
Netanyahu met with President Trump at the White House before Graham’s funeral and described his sit-down with the commander-in-chief as “one of the best meetings that we’ve had.”
“I always hate to disappoint our would-be critics who are trying to find, you know, cracks in our alliance,” he said, likening the current state of the US-Israel alliance to a “wall of granite.”
“The president is so clear … we have a common commitment. We don’t want to see this fanatic regime in Tehran have nuclear weapons to threaten every American and to threaten the peace of the world and to threaten the existence of Israel,” Netanyahu continued. “So we have a common goal, and it’s going to be achieved either through diplomatic means or other means and we’re both committed to that.”