Netanyahu says he’ll travel to NYC despite Mamdani’s ‘not serious’ vow to arrest him; Trump: ‘I’ll get him out’

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, attends a meeting with US President Donald Trump (not pictured) in the Blue Room of the White House, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, attends a meeting with US President Donald Trump (not pictured) in the Blue Room of the White House, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he still plans to travel to New York City, despite the US Democratic Party’s nominee for mayor of the city Zohran Mamdani pledging to arrest the Israeli premier, citing the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him.

Asked if he’s concerned about Mamdani’s pledge, Netanyahu tells reporters before his dinner with US President Donald Trump that he’s “not concerned about that.”

“I’ll get him out,” Trump chimes in as Netanyahu is speaking.

“There’s enough craziness in the world, but I guess it never ends. This is appalling, and it’s silly in many ways because it’s just not serious,” the Israeli premier adds.

Asked whether that means he’ll be in New York next year, Netanyahu responds that he’s going to come with Trump.

Netanyahu would likely come before next year, given that he speaks at the UN General Assembly’s annual high-level meeting of world leaders, which takes place annually in September.

Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during the National Action Network’s rally at House of Justice in Harlem, June 28, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

The premier also notes that while Mamdani has won the Democratic primary, the general election isn’t until November.

Weighing in on the matter, Trump calls Mamdani a “communist” who has “said some real bad things about Jewish people” — an apparent reference to the mayoral candidate’s intense criticism of Israel and refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada.”

“He’s going through a little bit of a honeymoon right now, [and] he might [win], but it all comes through the White House. He needs the money through the White House… He’s going to behave… He better behave, otherwise he’s going to have big problems,” Trump says.

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