'I'm not interested': Mamdani responds after Netanyahu accuses him of 'fomenting hate'

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declined to escalate his public dispute with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, "I'm not interested in getting into a back and forth."

His remarks came after Netanyahu accused the Democratic mayor of "fomenting hate" during an interview with Fox News.

Asked to respond, Mamdani instead shifted the focus to public safety and declined to discuss details of his conversation with President Donald Trump about the International Criminal Court dispute.

Zohran Mamdani shifts focus to Jewish New Yorkers

Speaking during a Monday, July 27, press briefing on municipal grocery stores, Mamdani was asked about Netanyahu's comments, to which he responded, "So I'm not interested in getting into a back and forth with Prime Minister Netanyahu."

"What I will say is that here in New York City, one of my top priorities is keeping Jewish New Yorkers safe, keeping every single New Yorker safe, and we know that while Jewish New Yorkers comprise a minority of all New Yorkers, they comprise a majority of the victims of all hate crimes, and it is unacceptable," he said.

A reporter also pressed Mamdani about his earlier call for the federal government to accept the ICC's arrest warrant for Netanyahu and whether he had discussed the issue with Trump.

"I've made my thoughts clear," Mamdani replied. "I'll keep the conversation between the president and myself."

Netanyahu accuses Mamdani of 'fomenting hate'

Netanyahu leveled the criticism during an appearance on Fox News's 'Sunday Morning Futures' with Maria Bartiromo.

"Look at what he's doing. He's fomenting hate," Netanyahu said while discussing Mamdani.

"He's supposed to be the mayor of all New Yorkers, Jews, Christians, Muslims, everyone," the Israeli prime minister continued. "But he's trying to turn one group against the other, and he's foisting hate and fear. I speak to Jewish Americans in New York, and they're afraid right now."

Zohran Mamdani stands by ICC position

The exchange follows Mamdani's recent clarification that New York City does not have the legal authority to arrest Netanyahu if he visits the city for the annual United Nations General Assembly.

"It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does," Mamdani said in a video posted on X last week.

"And I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant," he added.

Mamdani also defended his position by arguing that, "As human beings, we have spent generations building a shared understanding that there are crimes so grave they offend all of humanity. Anyone, with their eyes, with their heart, with their conscience, should recognize the devastation he has wrought and understand that he belongs before a court of law." 

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024, alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

The United States and Israel are not subject to the court's jurisdiction because neither has ratified the Rome Statute establishing the ICC.