Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday he still planned to visit New York despite incoming mayor Zohran Mamdani's threats to arrest him in compliance with an International Criminal Court warrant.
"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 Netanayhu was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel's relentless offensive in Gaza following the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.
Israel has voiced anger at the 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 UN business, although in September the Trump administration refused entry to Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
