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Arrest threat sparks backlash
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani was “fomenting hate” after Mamdani called for Netanyahu’s arrest over Israel’s war in Gaza if he visits New York for the United Nations general assembly in September.
“Netanyahu said on Sunday that Zohran Mamdani, the New York City mayor, was “fomenting hate””
Netanyahu told Fox News on Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo that Mamdani was “trying to turn one group against the other,” while Netanyahu said he intended to be in New York in September to address the annual UN gathering of world leaders.
The Guardian reported that the Hague-based court has accused Netanyahu, his former defense minister and the late leader of Hamas of crimes against humanity, and the BBC said Mamdani walked back his threat after acknowledging he lacked the legal power to arrest Netanyahu on an International Criminal Court warrant.
The BBC said Netanyahu referenced a pair of stabbings in New York on Thursday in which a suspect stabbed a Jewish man and an Asian man just blocks apart, and the suspect allegedly shouted the phrase “Allahu akbar” while committing the stabbings.
The BBC added that both men survived the attacks and that the suspect has been charged with hate crimes relating to each victim, as Netanyahu said Jewish New Yorkers were “afraid right now.”
Mamdani backs down on law
The BBC said Mamdani walked back his threat last week, acknowledging he lacked the legal power to arrest Netanyahu on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, and it quoted Netanyahu accusing the mayor of “fomenting hate” on Sunday.
In a Sunday interview with Fox News, the BBC reported Netanyahu said he was “not concerned” about Mamdani’s previous pledge and accused the mayor of “fomenting hate,” while the BBC also said Mamdani urged the federal government to arrest the prime minister.
The Independent reported that Netanyahu blamed Mamdani for the stabbing of a Jewish constituent after Mamdani publicly contemplated his arrest over alleged war crimes in Gaza, and it quoted Netanyahu saying, “I speak to Jewish Americans in New York, and they're afraid right now.”
The Independent also tied Netanyahu’s remarks to the Upper West Side stabbing of Moshe Grunhaus, 50, who was wearing a yarmulke when he was stabbed in the chest with a screwdriver after leaving a Jewish religious service.
The Independent said Raul Morales, 51, was arrested and charged with attempted murder and assault as hate crimes in both incidents, while the BBC said the mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gaza war and political stakes
The Guardian said the war in Gaza was ignited by the 7 October 2023 deadly attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants, and it reported that the Palestinian territory’s health ministry says more than 73,000 people have been killed in Israel’s offensive.
“more than 73,000 people have been killed in Israel’s offensive”
The BBC said Israel’s military entered Gaza after the Hamas-led attack in Israel on 7 October 2023, and it reported that about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage in the initial Hamas attack.
The Guardian reported that Netanyahu dismissed the ICC’s war crimes charges against him as “bogus,” and it said he pointed to sexual misconduct allegations against the ICC’s top prosecutor, who was removed from that post on Friday.
The BBC said Mamdani promised to enforce a 2024 arrest warrant for Netanyahu from the ICC, which accused the prime minister of committing war crimes in Gaza, while the BBC also said Israel has denied charges that it has committed war crimes in Gaza.
The Independent reported that Netanyahu planned to attend the UN General Assembly in New York in September and said he intended to come and speak from the podium of the United Nations, as the BBC said Netanyahu would meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday before attending a funeral service for Lindsey Graham.
