Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he intends to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly this September, dismissing calls from the city's mayor that he should not be welcome.
Speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu said he was "not concerned" by remarks from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who previously suggested he would seek to enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against the Israeli leader.
Last week, Mamdani acknowledged that New York City does not have the legal authority to execute the warrant, although he maintained that the federal government should do so.
Netanyahu accused the mayor of deepening divisions in one of the world's most diverse cities.
"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 said, accusing Mamdani of "fomenting hate".
The Israeli prime minister linked his concerns to two knife attacks in New York last week, in which a suspect allegedly stabbed a Jewish man and an Asian man within minutes of each other. Police said the suspect shouted "Allahu akbar" during the attacks and has been charged with hate crimes. Both victims survived.
Netanyahu said the incidents reflected growing anxiety within the city's Jewish community, adding: "Jews are afraid right now."
Mamdani, a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights, made opposition to Israel's military campaign in Gaza a central part of his mayoral campaign. He has repeatedly described Netanyahu as a "war criminal" and previously pledged to honour the ICC arrest warrant issued against him in 2024.
However, after reviewing the legal position, the mayor said last week that the city lacked the authority to carry out such an arrest.
"We do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant," Mamdani said, while insisting that "Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City."
The Hague-based ICC has accused Netanyahu of war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the conflict in Gaza. Israel rejects the allegations, with Netanyahu describing the charges as "bogus".
Netanyahu also voiced concern that longstanding bipartisan backing for Israel in the United States could be weakening as political divisions deepen.
He warned of rising antisemitism in the U.S. and elsewhere in the West, saying many Jewish residents in New York no longer feel secure.
"I think it's wrong. The whole thing is wrong," he said.
The diplomatic row comes as the war in Gaza remains at the centre of international scrutiny. Israel launched its military campaign following Hamas' 7 October 2023 attack, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
According to Gaza's health ministry, more than 73,000 people have since been killed. The figures are widely cited by the United Nations, although Israel disputes aspects of the reporting surrounding the conflict.
Netanyahu is expected to travel to Washington before the UN gathering, where he is due to meet U.S. President Donald Trump and attend the funeral of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a longstanding ally of Israel.
For decades, Uzbekistan’s cotton industry was primarily associated with the production and harvesting of ...
Leaders from around the world are gathering in New York for the latest session of the United Nations General Assembly, with conflicts in Ukraine an...
Steelmaker ArcelorMittal has it is shutting production at Ukraine's largest steel plant, underscoring the grow...
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan will hold an urgent high-level meeting under a joint defence pact to discuss ways to support the kingdom amid attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis. The meeting comes as Tehran seeks to distance itself from the rapid advance of its Houthi allies.
World leaders return to the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday for the fourth day of the high-level General Debate, with speeches and diplomatic meetings continuing throughout the day.
Finland and Sweden deployed fighter aircraft on Thursday after a group of Russian military planes was detected over the Gulf of Finland, the Finnish Air Force reported on Friday (25 September).
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on Thursday, 24 September, for talks focused on trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and the war with Iran.
Fourteen Kazakh military personnel died after being swept out to sea during a naval training exercise in the western Mangistau region, authorities said on Thursday.
Leaders from around the world are gathering in New York for the latest session of the United Nations General Assembly, with conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, global security, trade, artificial intelligence, climate change and economic development dominating the agenda.
Steelmaker ArcelorMittal has it is shutting production at Ukraine's largest steel plant, underscoring the growing economic toll of Russia's airstrikes that on Friday killed seven people in Kyiv including a 14-year-old boy and injured 58.
A woman has died and five people are missing after a residential building collapsed following an explosion in a tourist area of central Athens, a Greek fire brigade official said on Saturday.
U.S. television networks resumed coverage of President Donald Trump’s White House events on Friday, providing the first live pool footage of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit as a legal battle continues over restrictions on CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is comfortable maintaining its trade standoff with Canada despite new import bans taking effect next week U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Friday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment