Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of "fomenting hate" after the mayor said the Israeli leader should be arrested if he visits the city for the United Nations General Assembly over the war in Gaza.
Speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu confirmed he intends to travel to New York in September to address the annual UN gathering of world leaders despite Mamdani's remarks that he is not welcome in the city.
Last week, Mamdani said that although New York City has no legal authority to execute an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), he would urge the US federal government to do so.
"He's supposed to be the mayor of all New Yorkers – Jews, Christians, Muslims, everyone," Netanyahu said. "But he's trying to turn one group against the other."
The Israeli leader has become an increasingly divisive figure over Israel's military campaign in Gaza, launched after Hamas' 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel, as well as Israel's subsequent military actions against Iran and Hezbollah.
Netanyahu dismissed the ICC's war crimes allegations against him as "bogus", arguing that the court's decision was intended to divert attention from sexual misconduct allegations against the ICC's chief prosecutor, who was removed from office on Friday.
The New York mayor's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Netanyahu also expressed concern that longstanding bipartisan support for Israel in the United States is eroding, particularly as progressive Democrats become more critical of Israeli policy.
He warned that antisemitism was increasing across the US and other Western countries, saying many Jewish residents in New York City — home to the world's second-largest Jewish population — now feel increasingly uneasy.
"I think it's wrong. The whole thing is wrong," he said.
During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani pledged to direct New York police to enforce any ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu. However, he acknowledged last week that the city lacks the legal authority to do so and instead called on federal authorities to take action.
"I want to be equally clear: Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large," Mamdani said in a video message.
He also said New Yorkers had every right to express their opposition through peaceful protest.
The Hague-based ICC has accused Netanyahu, his former defence minister and the late Hamas leader of crimes against humanity. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, more than 73,000 people have been killed in Israel's offensive in Gaza, roughly half of them women and children. Around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, were killed in Hamas' 7 October attack on Israel.
US President Donald Trump has publicly assured Netanyahu that he would not face arrest while visiting the United States.
In a social media post on Monday, Trump wrote that Netanyahu "will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America."
Netanyahu is expected to travel to Washington this week for talks with Trump and to attend the funeral of late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
Graham, a staunch supporter of Israel and a leading defence hawk, died suddenly two weeks ago from a suspected torn aorta. Netanyahu described him as "an extraordinary American patriot".