Netanyahu plans New York visit despite mayor’s arrest threat

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he still plans to visit New York, despite threats from the city’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, to arrest him under a warrant from the International Criminal Court.

Speaking in a video interview with the Dealbock Summit, organised by The New York Times, Netanyahu said: “Yes, I will come to New York.”

When asked if he would try to speak with Mamdani, the Israeli leader added: “If he changes his mind and says we have the right to exist, that would be a good start for a conversation.”

Mamdani, a democratic socialist who is the first Muslim and first South Asian mayor of New York, has repeatedly said he supports Israel’s right to exist.

However, he stopped short of recognising Israel’s right to be a Jewish state, stressing that no country should have a “hierarchy of citizenship” based on religion or other factors.

Mamdani has pledged to send New York police to enforce ICC arrest warrants for leaders, including Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin.