Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed threats from New York's democratic socialist Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani this week, saying he fully intends to return to the Big Apple despite Mamdani's campaign-trail vow to have him arrested on alleged "war crimes" charges.
Speaking Wednesday via video to The New York Times' DealBook Summit at Lincoln Center, Netanyahu was asked directly whether he would travel to New York now that Mamdani has pledged to enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him over Israel's war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
"I'll come to New York," Netanyahu responded. "Yes, of course I will."
Mamdani, a far-left Democrat who has openly aligned himself with anti-Israel activist movements, made the promise to arrest the Israeli leader a centerpiece of his campaign.
Netanyahu made clear he has no intention of engaging with the mayor-elect unless Mamdani reverses his longstanding hostility toward the Jewish state.
"If he changes his mind and says that we have the right to exist, that'll be a good opening for a conversation," Netanyahu said when asked if he would consider meeting with Mamdani.
The prime minister's remarks underscore the widening divide between Israel's government and a growing faction of U.S. progressive politicians who have repeatedly targeted the Jewish state amid its ongoing war against Hamas.
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