Netanyahu accuses Mamdani of ‘fomenting hate’ in calls for PM’s arrest

Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in Jerusalem during a press conference, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, on 19 March 2026. Photograph: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters View image in fullscreen Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in Jerusalem during a press conference, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, on 19 March 2026. Photograph: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters Netanyahu accuses Mamdani of ‘fomenting hate’ in calls for PM’s arrest Israeli prime minister says ICC’s war crime charges are ‘bogus’ and plans to be in New York for UN gathering this fall Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Zohran Mamdani , the New York City mayor, is “fomenting hate” by calling the Israeli prime minister a war criminal who should be arrested over Israel ’s war in Gaza if he visits the city for the United Nations general assembly. Netanyahu said he intends to be in New York in September to address the annual UN gathering of world leaders, despite the mayor’s suggestion that he is not welcome. Mamdani said on Wednesday that while New York City does not have legal authority to execute an arrest warrant issued by the world’s top war crimes court, he encouraged the federal government to do so. “He’s supposed to be the mayor of all New Yorkers – Jews, Christians, Muslims, everyone,” Netanyahu said on the Fox News channel’s Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo. “But he’s trying to turn one group against the other.” Mamdani says he can’t arrest Netanyahu as mayor and urges US to enforce ICC warrant Read more The prime minister has become an increasingly polarizing figure over Israel’s war in Gaza , which was ignited by the 7 October 2023 deadly attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants. Israel also joined the US in starting the war against Iran on 28 February before launching a ground invasion in southern Lebanon in response to fire from the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group. Netanyahu on Sunday dismissed the international criminal court (ICC)’s war crimes charges against him as “bogus”. He pointed to sexual misconduct allegations against the ICC’s top prosecutor, who was removed from that post on Friday, and said the warrant was an attempt to divert attention. Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday. Netanyahu on Sunday also said he was concerned that once-bipartisan political support for Israel in the US is at risk , particularly as progressive and far-left Democrats aligned with the Mamdani wing of the party splinter. He also warned against rising antisemitism in the US and other western countries, saying that when he talks to people in New York City, home to the second-largest Jewish population in the world, “Jews feel very uncomfortable”. “And I think it’s wrong,” he said. “The whole thing is wrong.” Throughout his 2025 mayoral election campaign, Mamdani said he would seek to order the city’s police to execute the ICC’s arrest warrant over Netanyahu’s role in the war in Gaza. Trump says Benjamin Netanyahu ‘will not be arrested’ if he visits the US Re