Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to attend UN General Assembly despite calls for his arrest in New York
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he intends to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York this September, despite calls from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for his arrest. Netanyahu made the announcement during an interview with Sean Hannity after a White House meeting with President Donald Trump.
During the interview, Netanyahu accused Mamdani of fueling hate and dividing New Yorkers along ethnic lines. He said, “I’m going to New York. I’m going to speak the truth in front of this hate-spewing elected official who’s pitting one group of New Yorkers against the others. He’s turning them against New York Jews.”
Mamdani has long criticized Netanyahu over Israeli military actions in Gaza and Lebanon, calling him a “war criminal” and the “architect of a horrific genocide” against Palestinians. While acknowledging that city officials lack the authority to arrest Netanyahu under an International Criminal Court warrant, Mamdani urged federal officials to do so. He has also stated that New York City cannot legally arrest Netanyahu but continues to advocate for action at the federal level.
Netanyahu responded by accusing Mamdani of inciting hatred and said his rhetoric aims to turn New Yorkers against their Jewish community. “What are we in the 1930s? What is this? So much hate, so many lies,” Netanyahu told Hannity. Meanwhile, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio joined Mamdani’s calls for Netanyahu’s arrest, and President Trump criticized Israel’s ongoing strikes in Lebanon, citing civilian casualties.
Netanyahu also criticized the International Criminal Court, calling it a “corrupt, evil organization” and questioning why it has charged Hamas but not Hezbollah or other groups. He warned that the ICC could label U.S. leaders and soldiers as war criminals, saying, “They could say that the president of the United States is a war criminal, that American soldiers — valiantly fighting next to us — are war criminals.”
Reflecting on his recent meeting with Trump, Netanyahu described it as “one of the best meetings” he has had with the president. He emphasized the importance of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons and expressed confidence that Israel and the U.S. share a common goal, which he said will be achieved through diplomatic or other means. Netanyahu is scheduled to appear on the next episode of “Hang Out with Sean Hannity,” available Thursday on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.
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