Israeli Minister Responds to Mayor-Elect’s Threat

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar brushed aside Zoran Mamdani’s threats regarding the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York City. Speaking to the Post, Saar emphasized that he preferred not to engage in “legal discussions” with the upcoming mayor.

In a roundtable discussion on Monday, Saar stated that Mamdani’s statements, where he vowed to instruct the NYPD to arrest the prime minister, were not factored into Netanyahu’s travel plans. “I don’t want to get into a legal argument with the elected mayor of New York,” he remarked at a Midtown hotel.

“But I will only say or repeat what the prime minister himself said: The prime minister will come to New York,” he reiterated, solidifying Netanyahu’s comments from the previous week.

Mamdani, who aligns with far-left ideologies and has ties to the Democratic Socialists of America, had promised during his campaign to have the NYPD execute an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Netanyahu due to the Gaza conflict.

This vow created tension, particularly with Albany Governor Kathy Hochul, who expressed her frustration, pointing out that Mamdani lacks the authority to carry out such arrests. “No, that’s not true. The mayor of New York does not have that authority,” Hochul asserted.

The potential arrest order might also complicate matters for Mamdani and his police chief appointee, Jessica Tisch, who comes from a prominent Jewish family and identifies as a proud Zionist. Since appointing Tisch last month, Mamdani has not commented on his arrest commitment.

Mamdani’s transition team did not reply to questions about whether he planned to pursue this threat.

Despite the tensions, Saar has expressed a willingness to connect with Mamdani, who has been an outspoken critic of Israel. “I hope that in the future we can probably have a constructive dialogue, even if I’m skeptical about it,” he said on Monday morning.

In contrast, Netanyahu has been less open to dialogue with Mamdani. When asked about discussions with the future mayor, he declared, “I will change my mind and say we have the right to exist. That would be a good starting point for dialogue.”

Mamdani, set to take office on January 1, 2026, has acknowledged Israel’s right to exist but has refrained from asserting that it has the right to exist as a Jewish state.