Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he would travel to New York for the UN General Assembly in September despite calls by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for US authorities to enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News after meeting US President Donald Trump at the White House, Netanyahu dismissed suggestions that he could face arrest during the visit.

“First of all, I’m going to New York,” Netanyahu said.

“I’m definitely going there. I’m going to speak the truth in front of this hate-spewing elected official.”

The Israeli premier accused Mamdani of sowing division and inciting hostility towards New York’s Jewish community.

“He’s pitting one group of New Yorkers against the others. He’s turning them against New York Jews,” Netanyahu alleged, comparing the atmosphere to the persecution of Jews in Europe before World War II.

Mamdani last week described Netanyahu as a “war criminal” and urged the US government to enforce the ICC arrest warrant if the Israeli leader entered the United States.

Trump, however, has publicly rejected that possibility, saying Netanyahu “will not be arrested” while visiting the US.

The ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Commenting on his White House meeting with Trump, Netanyahu described the talks as “one of the best meetings that we’ve had.”

“I always hate to disappoint our would-be critics who are trying to find cracks in our alliance,” he said. “What they find today is a wall of granite.”

Netanyahu said both leaders remained united in their opposition to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, stressing that Washington and Tel Aviv shared a common commitment to preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear arsenal.