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// DOSSIER — netanyahu-vows-un-visit-new-york
Netanyahu Vows UN Visit to New York Despite Mayor Mamdani's Calls for Arrest
REL_TIME: 30 Jul 2026 07:12Z · LANG: EN
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed he will travel to New York City in September 2026 for the UN General Assembly, despite calls from NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani to arrest him under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant. Netanyahu sharply criticized Mamdani during a Fox News interview, accusing him of spreading hate and comparing the political climate to the 1930s. While Mamdani acknowledged that NYC lacks the legal authority to execute the warrant, he urged the federal government to act. President Donald Trump has firmly rejected any arrest, while public polling indicates split American opinion on enforcing the ICC warrant.
// Background
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Because the United States is not a party to the ICC, its warrants hold no legal jurisdiction on US soil. The dispute between Netanyahu and Mamdani also unfolded amid heightened local tensions, including a recent suspected hate-crime stabbing of a Jewish man on Manhattan's Upper West Side, which Netanyahu linked to Mamdani's rhetoric.
// Key Developments
- Netanyahu confirmed his plans to attend the UN General Assembly in New York this September.
- NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani called Netanyahu a 'war criminal' and urged the federal government to enforce the ICC's 2024 arrest warrant.
- Netanyahu compared Mamdani's rhetoric to 'the 1930s,' accusing him of turning New Yorkers against Jewish residents.
- Former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio supported Mamdani's stance, while the UJA-Federation of New York condemned it as repugnant.
- President Donald Trump guaranteed Netanyahu would not be arrested during his US visit.
// Timeline
-
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant.
-
President Donald Trump posts on Truth Social, declaring Netanyahu will not be arrested in the US.
-
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani releases a video calling Netanyahu a war criminal and urging the US federal government to enforce the ICC warrant.
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Netanyahu meets with Trump at the White House and subsequently slams Mamdani in a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity.
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Mamdani responds publicly, stating he will not engage in a back-and-forth but reiterates his commitment to keeping Jewish New Yorkers safe.
// Perspectives
[Zohran Mamdani (NYC Mayor)]
Believes Netanyahu is a war criminal who should be arrested by the federal government under the ICC warrant, though acknowledges the city lacks independent legal authority to do so.
[Benjamin Netanyahu (Israeli Prime Minister)]
Rejects the arrest calls, labels Mamdani a 'hate-spewing' official inciting antisemitism, and vows to speak at the UN in September.
[Donald Trump (US President)]
Guarantees Netanyahu will not be arrested, calling the arrest demands absurd and redirecting focus toward countering Iran.
[UJA-Federation of New York]
Condemns Mamdani's rhetoric, accusing him of spreading distortions that put Jewish New Yorkers at risk.
[Bill de Blasio (Former NYC Mayor)]
Supports Mamdani's position, asserting that Netanyahu's policies in Gaza constitute war crimes.
// Quotes
“He's turning them against New York Jews. I mean, what are we, in the 1930s? What is this, you know? So much hate, so many lies.”
“Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large.”
“This guy’s policies led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinian children, and that defines a war crime to me and to so many people around the world.”
