Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has no intention of cancelling his planned visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September despite repeated calls from for his arrest.
Speaking to Fox News following his White H on Tuesday (July 29), said he would go ahead with the trip.
“I’m going to New York,” Netanyahu said.
‘I’m going to speak the truth’
Netanyahu said he intends to use his visit to challenge Mamdani’s criticism of Israel and what he described as divisive rhetoric.
“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,” Netanyahu told the news outlet.
Mamdani has called Netanyahu a ‘war criminal’
Mamdani has been a critic of Netanyahu over Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
He has described the Israeli leader as a “war criminal”.
While acknowledging that New York City officials do not have the legal authority to arrest under the warrant, to enforce it if the Israeli prime minister visits the city.
Netanyahu accuses Mamdani of fomenting hate
Responding to the mayor’s comments, Netanyahu accused Mamdani of fueling hostility toward New York’s Jewish community.
The Israeli leader said the mayor was deliberately trying to turn New Yorkers against Jewish residents through his public statements.
Netanyahu rejects ICC warrant
During the interview, , describing the court as illegitimate.
“They don’t charge Hezbollah… Supposedly, they charged Hamas, but a guy who’s already dead. So no, it’s fake. It’s one big fake,” Netanyahu told Fox News.
He also called the ICC a “corrupt, evil organization” and questioned why it had labeled him a war criminal while, according to him, failing to pursue equivalent action against other militant groups.
