Benjamin Netanyahu sharply attacks Zohran Mamdani over arrest threat

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly rebuked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over the latter's threat to pursue an arrest warrant against him. Netanyahu's office issued a statement on Sunday, accusing Mamdani of attempting to divert attention from his own perceived failures.

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He should better focus on fixing the damage his policies have inflicted on New York.

"He should better focus on fixing the damage his policies have inflicted on New York," Netanyahu's office declared via the social media platform X. The statement was a direct response to Mamdani's announcement on Saturday that he would investigate avenues for arresting Netanyahu during the UN General Debate scheduled for September.

Mamdani, described as a representative of the left wing of the US Democratic Party, had told The New York Times that he believed Netanyahu "belongs in The Hague" and labeled him a "war criminal." However, the mayor expressed uncertainty about his authority to direct the New York Police Department to arrest a foreign head of government.

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belongs in The Hague

Netanyahu's office drew a parallel between Mamdani and Karim Khan, the recently suspended chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. "Just as Karim Khan seems interested in diverting public attention from his own missteps and attacking the head of government of the Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East," the statement read.

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Just as Karim Khan seems interested in diverting public attention from his own missteps and attacking the head of government of the Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East.