Netanyahu said he is not afraid to visit New York after Mamdani threatened to arrest him

New York City’s mayor-elect, Mamdani has said that if Netanyahu comes to New York, he would have him arrested for war crimes.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he has no hesitation about traveling to New York despite threats from the city’s incoming mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who recently declared he would seek Netanyahu’s arrest if he visited.

Speaking in an interview with Australian journalist Erin Molan, Netanyahu dismissed the notion that he should be concerned about entering the city under Mamdani’s leadership. “No. I’m not afraid,” he said, adding, “What do you want me to say about Mamdani? What about him?”

New York City’s mayor-elect, Mamdani supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel and has said that if Netanyahu comes to New York, he would have him arrested for war crimes.

Last year the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and then-defense minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes, along with Hamas leaders who have since been assassinated.

Netanyahu used the discussion with Molan to contrast his own long-standing economic worldview with what he described as Mamdani’s ideological inexperience.

He pointed to Israel’s transition from a partially socialist model to a market-driven economy during his years in government, arguing that the shift helped build the country’s high-tech sector.

Netanyahu said this approach stands in stark contrast to Mamdani’s political style and understanding of policy.

He also warned that the atmosphere surrounding Mamdani’s election, which critics say has included rhetoric characterized by antisemitic tropes, could harm New York.

“Antisemitism usually collapses societies,” Netanyahu said. “It starts with the Jews, then goes to the blacks, the gays, the Hispanics… and it just collapses societies.” He cautioned that the city “could have a very dim future” if such attitudes take hold.

Pressed on whether he would be willing to engage directly with Mamdani, Netanyahu suggested that any meeting would require a shift in tone from the mayor-elect. “I have a lot of dialogues that I’m engaged in right now, a lot,” he said.

“And I think this one, I think he should get his act together before he makes these statements.” He repeated that Mamdani would need to “brush up on economics, anti-Semitism, and who the bad guys are” before any productive exchange could occur.