Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that he still intends to travel to New York, dismissing mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s vow to enforce an International Criminal Court warrant for his arrest.
"Yes, I'll come to New York," Netanyahu said in a virtual interview with the New York Times' Dealbook forum.
Asked if he would seek to speak to Mamdani, Netanyahu replied, "If he changes his mind and says that we have the right to exist, that'll be a good opening for a conversation."
Mamdani, a democratic socialist who will be New York's first Muslim and first South Asian mayor, has repeatedly said he supports Israel's right to exist.
But he has balked at saying Israel has the right to be a Jewish state, saying no country should have a "hierarchy of citizenship" based on religion or other factors.
Mamdani has vowed to send the New York Police Department to enforce arrest warrants against leaders wanted by the International Criminal Court, including Netanyahu or Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Hague-based ICC last year said it had reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel's genocidal war in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas. Israeli attacks, which have continued despite the cease-fire struck in October, have killed at least 70,000 Palestinians. Israel has also severely restricted aid deliveries, worsening an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the devastated enclave.
Israel has voiced anger at the ICC accusations. Israel, the United States and Russia are among countries that have refused to join the ICC.
Despite Mamdani's statements, an arrest of Netanyahu is considered unlikely and it is debatable if the mayor-elect has the authority.
The federal government handles immigration and President Donald Trump's administration has vigorously defended Israel, including slapping sanctions against ICC judges and prosecutors.
New York is home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel as well as the United Nations, where Netanyahu has regularly attended the annual General Assembly.
Under an agreement as host country, the United States is supposed to issue visas for official U.N. business, although in September the Trump administration refused entry to Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.
