Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, attacked New York Mayor Zahran Mamdani on Saturday, following the latter’s announcement that he was considering the possibility of arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited the city.
Dannon claimed in a post on the “X” platform that “Mammdani has failed to manage New York,” alleging that “instead of focusing on his role as mayor and fighting against the rising tide of anti-Semitism in his city, he chooses to incite and make headlines through attacks on the State of Israel.”
The Israeli ambassador asserted that this move “will change nothing,” emphasizing that Netanyahu will arrive in New York next September to address the UN General Assembly “with pride, and will stand before the world to declare clearly the truth about Israel and its inalienable right to defend its citizens.” He continued, attacking the mayor: “If anyone needs to be stopped, it is New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani.”
The angry Israeli reactions came after Mamdani told The New York Times that his administration was exploring legal options to enforce the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against Netanyahu. The newspaper quoted Mamdani as saying that "the matter is under active discussion with the municipality's legal department."
In his interview on “The Interview” with journalist Lola Garcia Navarro, Mamdani stressed: “I think Netanyahu’s place is in The Hague (the headquarters of the International Criminal Court)... He is a war criminal against whom the court has taken action.”
This position represents a remarkable shift, as the issue has moved from a mere election pledge announced by Mamdani during his 2025 mayoral campaign, to formal legal consultations to examine the limits of his administration’s powers and the possibility of implementing the international warrant issued on November 21, 2024, accusing him of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.
Although the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court, which imposes legal obstacles to implementation, Mamdani’s actions have raised concerns in Israeli circles, despite previous statements by Netanyahu downplaying these threats and accusing the mayor of supporting Hamas.
For his part, Mamdani repeatedly affirmed his rejection of anti-Semitism and his commitment to protecting the Jewish community in New York, clearly distinguishing between his criticism of Israeli government policies and his stance on Jews.
It is worth noting that Zahran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral election in November 2025 and took office in early January 2026, becoming the first Muslim and the first American of South Asian descent to lead the city that has one of the largest Jewish communities outside of Israel.
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