The story

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for releasing a video last week calling for his arrest, accusing the mayor of fomenting hate and turning one group against another. In the video released Tuesday, Mamdani called Netanyahu a war criminal, condemned the war in Gaza, and urged the federal government to enforce an International Criminal Court warrant for the prime minister's arrest. The ICC warrant, issued in November 2024, accuses Netanyahu of war crimes and crimes against humanity as a result of Israel's military actions in Gaza.

Speaking on Fox News's Sunday Morning Futures, Netanyahu said he did not think it was accidental that a Jewish man was stabbed on the Upper West Side of Manhattan after Mamdani released the video. In the attacks on Thursday, police say Raul Morales stabbed a 57-year-old Asian man, Chok Sung, and then stabbed the Jewish man, Moshe Yezhak Grunhaus, yelling Allahu akbar during both attacks. Morales was arrested and charged Friday with two counts of attempted murder as a hate crime. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said detectives were still investigating Morales's motive and it appeared his mental state might have played a role.

Mamdani said his administration reviewed every avenue under applicable law and determined the city does not have the independent legal authority to enforce the ICC warrant, though the federal government does. The United States does not recognize the ICC, and protections are in place for leaders who visit the UN's New York City headquarters. Netanyahu said he still intends to visit New York for the United Nations General Assembly, which begins in September, where he vowed to speak the truth and defend Israel. Asked about Netanyahu's comments, Mamdani's spokesman pointed to a New York Post interview Saturday in which Mamdani said he was committed to countering antisemitism across the city.