Ofir Akunis, the Israeli Consul General in New York, on Wednesday blasted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, after Mamdani continued to accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of war crimes, even as he acknowledged that he lacks the authority to arrest Netanyahu if he visits the city.
“Mayor Mamdani knew that he does not have legal authority to arrest Prime Minister Netanyahu. Yet, he continues with his blood libels against Israel," said Akunis.
“Mamdani’s obsession with demonizing the only Jewish State is not only reckless, it’s a dangerous precedent that is being set by him. This is another example of his antisemitic record and hostility towards Israel, and it disgraces the office he holds," he added.
Akunis suggested that Mamdani “should start focusing on the people of his city instead of meddling in matters he doesn't understand."
The Consul General’s statement came after Mamdani published a video in which he continued to attack Netanyahu as a “war criminal", claimed he is the “architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people" and urged the federal government to act to arrest him by joining the International Criminal Court (ICC) which issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu.
Despite his criticism of the Prime Minister, Mamdani admitted in the video, “My administration has reviewed every avenue available, under applicable law, to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here. It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant."
Mamdani previously told The New York Times in an interview that he is exploring options to take Netanyahu into custody over the ICC warrant linked to the war against Hamas in Gaza.
The Prime Minister's Office issued a scathing response to the mayor's comments: "The ICC is a kangaroo court that has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis. Its bogus arrest warrant against Prime Minister Netanyahu was issued by a disgraced former ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan, a few days before allegations of sexual misconduct against him became public. It was a clear attempt by Khan to divert public attention and seek protection from scrutiny."
"Under Prime Minister Netanyahu's leadership, Israel has taken unprecedented wartime measures to minimize harm to civilians while confronting Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization that uses Palestinians as human shields and deliberately targets innocent Israeli civilians," the office clarified.
"Instead of backing Khan's criminal behaviour, Mr. Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York. Like Karim Khan, Mamdani appears interested in diverting public attention from his follies and attacking the leader of the Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East," the statement concluded.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the issue on Monday via Truth Social, writing that Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape or form, while in the United States of America."
According to Trump, Netanyahu is "fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors, and has spent the last 47 years killing American Soldiers, and others."
He further insisted that "the only ones that should be arrested are the people that led Iran into this unprecedented SPIRAL OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION, something that should have been dealt with years ago, by previous Presidents!"