Benjamin Netanyahu calls Zohran Mamdani’s threat to arrest him “silly,” says he will visit New York; Trump backs Netanyahu. Photo/X.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reacted to the New York Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani’s warning that he could face arrest in New York City. The Israeli PM who was on a White House visit meeting Trump, called the threat “silly” and said he plans to visit the city regardless.
“I’m not concerned about that,” Netanyahu told reporters on Monday evening at the White House during a working dinner with President Donald Trump.
Netanyahu further teased his intention to visit New York, saying, “I’m going to come there with President Trump and we’ll see.”
In response to Netanyahu’s remarks, Trump quipped, “I’ll get him out.”
Trump later assured Netanyahu publicly that he had nothing to worry about, dismissing Mamdani’s stance and criticizing the mayoral candidate harshly.
“He’s going to be very fine. And we don’t know who the mayor is going to be yet, but this is a communist. He’s not a socialist. He’s a communist, and he’s said some really bad things about Jewish people,” Trump said.
He added, “And he’s said some really bad things about a lot of people. And I think he’s going through a bit of a honeymoon right now but he might make it.”
Referring directly to Mamdani, Trump said, “He’s going to behave. He’ll behave. He better behave. Otherwise, he’s going to have big problems.”
The president also renewed his threat to withhold federal aid from New York City if Mamdani were to challenge his administration.
Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist and Queens assemblyman, has been a vocal critic of Netanyahu, particularly over Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip and its treatment of Palestinians.
Last year, Mamdani told Zeteo that if elected, he would not welcome Netanyahu to New York, citing the International Criminal Court’s warrant issued against Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The warrant, issued last year, accuses both of committing war crimes.
“No. As mayor, New York City would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu. This is a city that our values are in line with international law. It’s time that our actions are also,” Mamdani told journalist Mehdi Hasan in December.
Mamdani has also publicly rejected the idea of recognizing Israel as a Jewish state. He stated, “I’m not comfortable supporting any state that has a hierarchy of citizenship on the basis of religion or anything else.”
Also Read: Zohran Mamdani Criticized For Visiting Brooklyn Mosque Tied To Anti-Israel Remarks
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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