Netanyahu says he will visit New York despite Mamdani's threats to arrest him

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu speaks via video during the 2025 New York Times Dealbook Summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York City, December 03, 2025. MICHAEL M. SANTIAGO / AFP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, December 3, that 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."

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