“Of course I will”: Netanyahu vows to visit NYC despite Mamdani’s threats

• ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to visit New York City despite threats from Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to have him arrested based on an ICC war crimes warrant.
• Netanyahu dismissed the threat, stating he would "come to New York" and "test that," while Mamdani had previously pledged to order the NYPD to enforce the international warrant.

‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a remote interview at The New York Times DealBook Summit on Wednesday that he would visit New York City regardless of threats from Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to have him arrested.

The exchange occurred as Netanyahu joined via satellite from ‘Israel’, speaking with NYT columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin at the event held at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Sorkin pressed Netanyahu on the issue, noting the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against him for alleged war crimes in Gaza and Mamdani's pledge to enforce it.

"The International Criminal Court has an arrest warrant out for you, which, of course, alleges that you conducted war crimes. In New York City, right here where I am, the mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani says that he would comply with the I.C.C. and he would arrest you," Sorkin said.

"We’ve long wanted to do one of these interviews in person, right here in New York."

Netanyahu responded without hesitation. "By the way, I didn’t answer, I didn’t answer your question, Andrew. I’ll come to New York, OK?" he said.

When Sorkin followed up, "Would you come to New York, given what the mayor has said about arresting you?"

Netanyahu replied, "Yes, of course I will."

Probing further on whether Netanyahu would test Mamdani, Sorkin asked, "And you will test that? I mean, what is the thought about how that would work?"

Netanyahu quipped, "Well, why don’t you wait and see? Yes, I’ll come to New York."

Mamdani, a democratic socialist set to become New York's first Muslim and South Asian mayor on January 1, 2026, made his threat in a September 2025 NYT interview, vowing to honor the ICC warrant.

"If Netanyahu enters New York, we will arrest him," Mamdani stated, emphasizing his intent to order the NYPD to act on international warrants against leaders like Netanyahu or Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The ICC issued the warrant in 2024, citing reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu bears responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity during ‘Israel's’ assault on Gaza.

‘Israel’ has rejected the accusations, with Netanyahu defending his actions at the summit: "No army has done what Israel has done to try to get civilians out of harm's way, and Hamas has done everything in its power to keep civilians in harm's way."

Netanyahu also addressed potential dialogue with Mamdani, saying, "Would you want to talk to him, by the way? Well, if he changes his mind and says that we have the right to exist, that’ll be a good opening for a conversation."

Despite the rhetoric, experts consider an arrest unlikely due to federal oversight on immigration and strong US support for ‘Israel’ under President Donald Trump, who called Mamdani's threat "inappropriate" and vowed to intervene if necessary.