Netanyahu accuses NYC mayor of inciting hate following retraction of arrest pledge

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of fomenting hate, a response to the mayor’s recent retraction of a pledge to arrest the Israeli leader. Netanyahu, who intends to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York this autumn, dismissed the earlier threat as unenforceable and characterised Mamdani’s stance as an attempt to divide the city’s diverse population.

Mamdani, a staunch supporter of Palestinian rights, had previously vowed to enforce a 2024 International Criminal Court warrant against Netanyahu, who is accused of war crimes in Gaza. However, following scrutiny from the media, the mayor acknowledged last week that New York City lacks the independent legal authority to execute such an arrest. He subsequently urged the federal government to intervene and reiterated that Netanyahu is not welcome in the city.

Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Netanyahu stated he was not concerned about the mayor’s previous position. He accused Mamdani of trying to turn one group against another, noting that the mayor is supposed to represent all New Yorkers, including Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The Israeli prime minister linked Mamdani’s rhetoric to recent violent incidents in the city, claiming that Jewish New Yorkers are currently afraid.

The comments followed a pair of stabbings in New York on Thursday, where a suspect attacked a Jewish man and an Asian man in separate incidents just blocks apart. Police reported that the suspect allegedly shouted "Allahu akbar" during the attacks. Both victims survived, and the suspect has been charged with hate crimes relating to each incident, drawing condemnations from local community leaders.

Mamdani’s opposition to the Israeli military operation in Gaza was a central plank of his mayoral campaign last year, during which he referred to Netanyahu as a war criminal. Israel has denied the charges, with Netanyahu calling them bogus. The conflict began after the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, over 73,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since then, figures the UN considers reliable.

Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Netanyahu’s latest accusations. The retraction of the arrest pledge highlights the complex legal jurisdiction between municipal, state, and federal authorities in the United States regarding international warrants.

The incident underscores the diplomatic friction surrounding the upcoming UN General Assembly. While Mamdani maintains that the prime minister is unwelcome, the legal realities of municipal governance have constrained his ability to act on the International Criminal Court’s warrant. The situation remains a point of contention as international leaders prepare to gather in New York.