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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of fuelling division and hatred after the mayor previously threatened to arrest him if he visited the city in line with an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.
Netanyahu made the remarks during an interview with Fox News on Sunday, insisting he would still attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York later this year despite the controversy.
The Israeli leader said he was not concerned by Mamdani’s earlier comments, accusing the mayor of creating unnecessary divisions in a city known for its diversity.
“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,” Netanyahu said.
The dispute stems from Mamdani’s earlier pledge to enforce the ICC’s 2024 arrest warrant against Netanyahu, who is wanted by the court over alleged war crimes committed during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
However, the New York mayor last week withdrew the threat after seeking legal advice, saying his administration lacked the authority to execute the warrant.
“We do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant,” Mamdani said.
The exchange comes amid heightened tensions over the war in Gaza and growing political divisions in the United States over Washington’s support for Israel.
Netanyahu also linked his criticism of Mamdani to two stabbing incidents in New York on Thursday, during which police said a suspect attacked a Jewish man and an Asian man several blocks apart while allegedly shouting “Allahu akbar”.
The suspect has since been charged with hate crimes relating to both attacks. Both victims survived, while the incidents drew widespread condemnation from Jewish and Asian American community leaders.
Reacting to the attacks, Netanyahu said many members of New York’s Jewish community were living in fear.
“Jewish New Yorkers are afraid right now,” he said.
The mayor’s office had not responded to the latest criticism at the time of filing this report.
Mamdani, a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights, made opposition to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza a central issue during his mayoral campaign and recently described Netanyahu as a “war criminal”.
Israel has consistently rejected the allegations contained in the ICC warrant, with Netanyahu describing the accusations as “bogus”.
The conflict began after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which left about 1,200 people dead and saw 251 others taken hostage.
Since then, more than 73,000 people have reportedly been killed during Israel’s military operations in Gaza, including over 21,000 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The United Nations has previously said the ministry’s casualty figures are generally considered reliable, although they remain disputed by Israel.
