By Staff, Agencies

“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 Gaza genocide.

The International Criminal Court [ICC] issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and former “Israeli” War Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over war crimes and crimes against humanity in the enclave, including “starvation as a method of warfare” and “other inhumane acts.” 

Mamdani, who has denounced “Israel’s” 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,” Bibi 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.

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.”