The Israeli prime minister has rejected the New York mayor’s calls for his arrest over the war in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of “fomenting hate” following the mayor’s call for his arrest in relation to the war in Gaza.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the enclave, including “starvation as a method of warfare” and “other inhumane acts.” Mamdani, who has described Israel’s military campaign as genocide and called the Israeli prime minister a “war criminal,” last week urged US federal authorities to execute the warrant if Netanyahu visits New York for the UN General Assembly in September.
Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Netanyahu dismissed the ICC case against him as “bogus” and said he would still travel to New York despite Mamdani’s calls for his arrest. Accusing the mayor of “fomenting hate,” the Israeli leader said: “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.”
Mamdani later acknowledged that New York City has no legal authority to enforce the ICC warrant and instead urged the Trump administration to act. Neither the US nor Israel is a party to the ICC, and US federal law bars state and local authorities from cooperating with requests from the court.
Washington has consistently opposed the ICC. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged to “dismantle” the court by urging other countries to withdraw their support. Meanwhile, Netanyahu, who reportedly traveled to Washington on Monday, is expected to meet with President Donald Trump and attend funeral services for the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, whom the Israeli leader referred to as “a great patriot” and one of Israel’s “greatest friends.” Trump has also dismissed the prospect of Netanyahu being arrested in the US, saying in a social media post on Monday that the Israeli prime minister “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America.”
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The war in Gaza began after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage. The Jewish State responded with a large-scale military operation in the enclave and has continued expanding its ground campaign, despite a US-brokered ceasefire agreement with Hamas. More than 73,000 people, including over 21,000 children, have since been killed in Gaza, according to the enclave’s health authorities. The campaign has drawn widespread international condemnation and fueled accusations of genocide, which Israel denies.
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