Netanyahu accuses Mamdani of fomenting hate
Photo: REUTERS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of spreading hatred after the mayor previously threatened to have him arrested during his upcoming visit to the United States.
Despite the friction with the city’s leadership, Netanyahu confirmed on Sunday that he still intends to travel to New York this autumn to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
While Mamdani recently walked back his arrest threat, acknowledging that he lacks the specific legal authority to enforce a warrant from the International Criminal Court, the Israeli leader dismissed the initial pledge during an interview with Fox News.
Netanyahu said he was not concerned about the mayor’s rhetoric and instead characterized Mamdani’s actions as fomenting hate.
In his critique of the city’s leadership, Netanyahu argued that the mayor is failing to represent the diverse population of the metropolis.
“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 remarked.
To illustrate the consequences of such divisions, Netanyahu pointed to a violent incident last Thursday in which a suspect allegedly shouted “Allahu akbar” while stabbing a Jewish man and an Asian man just blocks apart.
Although both victims survived the attacks and the suspect now faces hate crime charges, Netanyahu emphasized the resulting atmosphere of intimidation, noting that Jewish New Yorkers are afraid right now.
These stabbings have already drawn sharp condemnation from both Jewish and Asian American community leaders.
Mamdani, who has made his advocacy for Palestinian rights and opposition to Israeli military operations in Gaza a cornerstone of his political identity, previously labeled the PM a war criminal during an address last week.
Throughout his campaign last year, Mamdani promised to uphold a 2024 arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which accuses Netanyahu of committing war crimes in Gaza.
Despite the legal hurdles preventing a city-level arrest, the mayor continues to maintain a hardline stance against Netanyahu’s arrival.
“Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City,” Mamdani declared, while simultaneously urging the federal government to take the Israeli leader into custody. As of now, the mayor’s office has not issued a formal response regarding Netanyahu’s latest accusations.
Source: BBC (adapted)
