‘I will come to fight’: Netanyahu hits back at Mamdani over ‘not welcome in New York City’ remarks

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday hit back at New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani after the latter said he was “not welcome” in the city and backed the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant against him. Declaring that he would travel to New York in September to address the United Nations General Assembly, Netanyahu accused the mayor of “fomenting hate” and dismissed the war-crimes allegations against him.Speaking to Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, Netanyahu said, “My answer to Mamdani, I will come to New York to fight for the truth of the Jewish people.”“I intend to come and speak the truth, speak for Israel and for the Israeli-American alliance from the podium of the United Nations,” he added.Netanyahu’s remarks came days after Mamdani said Israeli leaders facing ICC charges were not welcome in New York. The mayor also said that while New York City did not have the legal authority to execute the ICC’s arrest warrant, he believed the US federal government should do so.“Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large. As I’ve said, I agree with the ICC that Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes, as I do for anyone else charged by the ICC,” Mamdani had said.He had also told media outlet, The New York Times, that his administration was engaged in an “active conversation” with the New York City law department to determine the city’s legal authority if Netanyahu visits for the UN General Assembly in September.Responding to the criticism, Netanyahu accused Mamdani of siding with Hamas. “What Mamdani is supporting, his wife, his family – he celebrated October 7th massacre, the worst massacre against Jews since the Holocaust,” Netanyahu said.He claimed the group had carried out killings, sexual violence and hostage-taking, concluding, “That’s who he’s supporting.”Rejecting allegations of genocide against Israel, Netanyahu said, “They’re the ones who are responsible for genocide.” He added, “The genocide charge belongs to our enemies. What we’re doing is trying to fight this genocidal terrorist organization… That’s where the real criminals are.”The Israeli prime minister also criticised Mamdani’s leadership, saying previous New York mayors sought to unite the city. “Mamdani is aligning himself with the criminals… but the worst thing is that he’s tormenting his own citizens, his own voters,” Netanyahu said.He further alleged that the mayor was “fomenting hate”, adding, “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 and he’s foisting hate and fear.”Netanyahu also linked Mamdani’s remarks to a recent stabbing incident outside a New York synagogue, saying, “I don’t think it’s accidental that after he made this hate speech against Israel and against me, the next day a Jew is stabbed coming out of a synagogue… with a cry of ‘Allahu Akbar’.”A 51-year-old man, identified as Raul Morales, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder as hate crimes after allegedly attacking an Asian man and a Jewish man on Manhattan’s Upper West Side on Thursday. Police said Morales shouted “Allahu Akbar” during both attacks. The Jewish victim had just left a synagogue.