Netanyahu accuses Mamdani of ‘fomenting hate’ and calls ICC war-crimes charges ‘bogus’
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- Netanyahu accused NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani of 'fomenting hate' for calling him a war criminal who should be arrested if he visits for the UN General Assembly in September, claiming the mayor is 'trying to turn one group against the other.'
- Netanyahu dismissed ICC war-crimes charges against him as 'bogus,' pointing to sexual misconduct allegations against the court's prosecutor — who was removed from the post on Friday — and calling the warrant an attempt to divert attention.
- Netanyahu warned that once-bipartisan US political support for Israel is at risk as progressive and far-left Democrats aligned with Mamdani's wing splinter from the party.
- Trump assured Netanyahu in a Monday social media post that he 'will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,' preempting any federal enforcement of the ICC warrant.
- Mamdani acknowledged last week that NYC lacks legal authority to execute the ICC's arrest warrant and instead called on federal authorities to step in, saying 'Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large.'
- Netanyahu is expected in Washington this week to meet with Trump and attend funeral services for the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who died two weeks ago of a likely torn aorta.
- The ICC has accused Netanyahu, his former defense minister, and the late Hamas leader of crimes against humanity; Gaza's Health Ministry says over 73,000 people have been killed in Israel's offensive — roughly half women and children.
Why it matters: Netanyahu's confirmed September UN General Assembly visit puts him physically in the jurisdiction of a US mayor who has publicly urged his arrest, creating a high-profile standoff — though Trump's blanket federal guarantee effectively neutralizes any enforcement risk on American soil, underscoring the practical limits of ICC warrants against US allies.
