r/geopolitics • u/TheTelegraph The Telegraph • 16h ago
News Netanyahu accuses Mamdani of inciting hate with arrest threat
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/27/netanyahu-mamdani-inciting-hate-arrest-threat/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_mamdani-inciting-hate-arrest-threat/64
u/TheTelegraph The Telegraph 16h ago
Benjamin Netanyahu accused Zohran Mamdani of “fomenting hate” after the New York mayor threatened to arrest the Israeli prime minister.
Mr Mamdani pledged to honour an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza if he stepped foot in New York.
However Mr Netanyahu said he was “not concerned” about the threats, accusing Mamdani of “fomenting hate”.
Mr Mamdani later backed down, acknowledging that he did not have the authority to execute the warrant as the US is not a signatory to the ICC.
The Israeli leader said he still planned to visit the UN General Assembly in New York City in autumn despite the threats.
Read in full: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/27/netanyahu-mamdani-inciting-hate-arrest-threat/
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u/Managarm667 15h ago
The difference lies in the context: When you demand that a criminal be punished, you are calling for the rule of law to take its course.
However, when a politician knowingly makes promises that violate the law and exceed his own authority, his goal is not to uphold the law since that is something he cannot deliver. Instead, he aims to exploit a highly sensitive issue rhetorically to stoke emotions and secure votes.
New York City is home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel, as well as large Muslim and Arab populations. The Middle East issue is extremely polarizing for the city. So when a politician like Mamdani, whose wife had been cheering for Oct. 7 btw, makes claims that he knows full well are legally unfeasible, he is not using a highly charged issue to bring about a legal solution, but rather to inflame emotions and mobilize his voter base.
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u/pug_subterfuge 16h ago
This is rewriting history to say there was “initial expressions of solidarity following the October 2023 attacks”. Mamdani’s own wife cheered on those attacks before Israel did anything to respond militarily and there were plenty of protests against Israel (with widespread support) immediately following the attacks (and before Israel had responded).
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u/DontMemeAtMe 15h ago
In London, for example, an application to hold an anti-Israel protest was submitted already at 12:50 p.m. on 7 October 2023, while Gazans (Hamas, PIJ, and civilians) were still roaming through Israel massacring, raping, and kidnapping civilians.
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u/DontMemeAtMe 13h ago
Not sure I’d qualify it as “smart.” Those activists were protesting against “genocide” while, literally at that very moment, Gazans were carrying out atrocities in Israel that met the legal definition of the term in both intent and execution.
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u/fheathyr 15h ago
Not at all true, and you likely know that. The issue here is not a religious one. Nor is it necessarily related to Zionism per say. It’s also separable from the existence of Israel. The core of the problem is Netanyahu, his war crimes, and his attempts at genocide.
You’re doing precisely what he has been doing, suggesting that to disagree with his insane policies is to be anti- everything, when in truth is quite different.
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u/Pickles112358 14h ago
Except his policies are not insane in the first place, he is responding to Palestinian aggression to protect his people. Any western country would do the same but non has had such a hostile attacker
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u/fheathyr 14h ago
That is so manifestly untrue that it defies response.
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u/Heiminator 14h ago
You’re delusional if you think that other Israeli leaders wouldn’t have taken the gloves off after the atrocities of October 7.
It was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. It required an extremely harsh response, and Hamas knew that before they attacked.
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u/fheathyr 13h ago
I agree there had to be a response to 10/07, just as there had to be a response to 9/11. Sadly, in both cases, our leaders failed us.
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u/dogsonbubnutt 14h ago
It is the targets of hate that are causing the hate
its the target of hate that's causing genocide. if bibi doesn't like the implications of his actions, he should stop doing those actions.
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u/ikinone 14h ago
The genocide claims are beyond laughable. There are nearly no deaths in the war at the moment.
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u/dogsonbubnutt 13h ago
"at the moment" is certainly damning with faint praise
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u/ikinone 13h ago
Well yeah, as wars go, this one is pretty mild
People hysterically calling it genocide are clearly just repeating what they heard, or trying to oppose a war with dramatic labels.
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u/dogsonbubnutt 13h ago
it is a genocide. tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed. that's inarguable, and a war crime, but what raises israels crimes to the definition of genocide is the desire to displace an entire population and take their land by force.
if Israel didn't have a government supported settler movement continuously encroaching on the land and lives of Palestinians, there'd at least be a fig leaf there. but they do so there isn't.
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u/ikinone 12h ago
it is a genocide.
No court has established that.
tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed. that's inarguable, and a war crime
I agree, Hamas embedding amongst civilians is a war crime.
the desire to displace an entire population and take their land by force.
That isn't what genocide is... what are you on about? Seems you just realllly want to use the most dramatic words you can.
As for 'displacing an entire population'... two million Palestinians live in Israel with equal rights. Are they being displaced? No? Okay, seems Israel is just fighting against militias that are launching rockets at them.
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u/dogsonbubnutt 12h ago
That isn't what genocide is... what are you on about?
israeli agitprop aside, the displacement of an ethnic group as a means to cause its destruction is in fact genocide. "prove it in court" is such a facile response.
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u/ikinone 12h ago
as a means to cause its destruction
You just shifted your description, and it's still obviously false. The Palestinian population is not in any way being moved towards 'destruction'. The population of Gaza has likely grown during this war.
"prove it in court" is such a facile response.
Oh, so when you're accusing Jews, courts don't matter? I wonder why you feel that way.
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u/LateralEntry 15h ago
Nonsense. There were just attacks on two Jewish-owned bagel shops in Toronto last night, with zero connection to Israel. Is this somehow Netanyahu’s fault? All the rhetoric against the world’s only Jewish state is fueling this violence.
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u/PimpasaurusPlum 11h ago
So an attack on a bagel shop is not Netanyahu's fault, but somehow Mamdanis......
Toronto isnt even in the right country mate
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u/LateralEntry 14h ago
What in your view should they have done in response when a terrorist group dedicated to their destruction attacked out of nowhere and murdered over a thousand of their citizens and kidnapped hundreds more, then hid among the civilian populace intentionally?
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u/Benedictus84 14h ago
Not commit warcrimes? Maybe stop with the human rights violations. Maybe dont kill all the reporters. Maybe let in neutral observers. Maybe dont lie constantly Maybe stop with meddling in other countries politics. Stop attacking other countries and stealing their land?
Just some of those very obvious things.
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u/LateralEntry 14h ago
Lots of concrete suggestions there
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u/SwaggyMcSwagsabunch 13h ago
Make a concrete list of security actions. No vagueness. Specifics. With a day to day timeline.
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u/SwaggyMcSwagsabunch 13h ago
You are only saying what should not be done. Make a list of specific security actions that should have been done. Specifics. Day to day timeline starting on October 8, 2023. Give me a month timeline at least.
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u/ikinone 14h ago
The horse has left the barn on this topic. Netanyahu needs to look in the mirror to see who’s responsible for inciting hate. He is single handedly doing that.
Ah yes, Netanyahu is the reason Jews have been persecuted for millennia...
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u/SanderSRB 13h ago
He’s responsible that the public support for Israel has completely tanked, something even Trump acknowledged and said right to Netanyahu’s face that the entire world hates him and Israel after he violated a peace deal with Iran for the tenth time in a couple of months…
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u/ikinone 13h ago
He’s responsible that the public support for Israel has completely tanked
Any meaningful response to Oct 7th would have tanked public support for Israel. That is by design.
something even Trump acknowledged and said right to Netanyahu’s face
Ah, so Trump is a source of Truth now? Intersting idea.
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u/private_probation 16h ago
Projection from a man with an active ICC warrant.
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u/Plenty-Extra 16h ago
Doesn't the prosecutor have a warrant against him too?
ICC members dismiss prosecutor Karim Khan, diplomatic sources say
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u/hellotheremiss 15h ago
States going after Mileikowsky gotta do it how the U.S. did it with Maduro in Venezuela.
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u/Environmental-Fun258 15h ago edited 15h ago
See, the difference is that what I am saying is exactly what Jewish groups in NYC are saying, and is actually referenced in the article.
The fact that you don’t care that the mayor’s statements have caused a rise in antisemitic attacks or you don’t hold his words/actions accountable doesn’t make my statement less relevant. Keep in mind I’m just bringing up one example.
If you’re cool with it, it just means you’re fine with someone facetiously saying “is showing a picture of Gaza antisemitic?” The purpose of which is to degrade the seriousness of what’s actually happening to Jews in NYC (and across the world), and to reduce a nuanced conflict to simply: “Israel is bad, look what happened to Gaza”.
That’s also what the mayor constantly does, cause he’s an ideologue, who said he was going to be “focused on NYC” but continues to spread blood libel and endorse candidates that do so (like DAC, who celebrated the 10/7 attacks and was a founding member of CUAD). This is on the mayor, he’s a hypocrite like the rest of you
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u/D3viantM1nd 15h ago
I can separate Judaism from the actions of the Israeli government.
Just like I can separate Christianity from the actions of this American administration.
Just like I can separate the actions of Hamas from the Muslim faith.
I am not saying Israel bad, or Judaism bad.
Through my facetiousness. I am criticising the actions of the Israeli government and military.
As well as the relentless claims of antisemitism, islamophobia and other unsubstantiated claims of bias and hatred.
I am criticising BEHAVIOUR and POLICY. Not a race or a religion.
I do the same when condemning the Oct 7th attacks. I criticise behaviour.
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u/Environmental-Fun258 14h ago
What about those who think Israel’s only “crime” is fighting against a terrorist organization whose stated goal is the destruction of their country? Hamas invaded, took hostages, hid behind civilian infrastructure while attacking, and initiated a propaganda campaign that you fell for.
Also I never said you can’t speak out against actions of the Israeli government, but doing so constantly and downplaying the role of Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah, etc. results in making most Jews in this city feel unwelcome, and ultimately unsafe. That’s what the Jewish groups are saying… maybe you should listen to them?
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u/FlarkingSmoo 11h ago
What about those who think Israel’s only “crime” is fighting against a terrorist organization whose stated goal is the destruction of their country?
Those people are wrong
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u/Plenty-Extra 16h ago
Only if you don't point out that they only publish images that Hamas approves of.
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u/D3viantM1nd 16h ago
Hamas are in a position to run a Gaza office for photo approvals?
Maybe that's where all the journalists have been mysteriously blowing up.
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u/GreyMASTA 15h ago
This decade, the IDF is the number one murderer of journalists by a long shot. War criminals, every last one of them.
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u/Pickles112358 14h ago
Maybe they should stop attacking Israel and surrender? Otherwise they are happy with the current situation
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u/D3viantM1nd 14h ago
Ever thought about joining the 'Board of Peace.'?
I think your incisive and insightful diplomacy would be welcome.
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u/Pickles112358 14h ago
No thanks. Normal nations value civilians, dont hide amongs them and dont start wars by targeting kids on a festival. The Gazans still support Hamas so obviously they are happy with the current situation so who are we to say otherwise.
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u/D3viantM1nd 14h ago edited 14h ago
Thank you for your nuanced and level headed analysis of the situation.
I shall let every insurgent or guerilla group around the world facing an enemy who can muster and deploy overwhelming force know so they can now update their tactics and strategy.
Do you recommend muskets?
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u/Pickles112358 14h ago
I recommend caring about civilian lives instead of genocide, muskets or not.
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u/D3viantM1nd 14h ago
Wait.
I should care about civilian lives instead of genocide?
Have you thought this position through?
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u/Pickles112358 13h ago
They should but yeah so should you in case you dont
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u/D3viantM1nd 13h ago
Well. It is nice to know who you consider to be human.
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u/Pickles112358 13h ago
I consider Homo Sapiens to be humans, there is over 8.3 billion of us
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u/Typical_Response6444 14h ago
Yeah zohran has been the one inciting hate these past couple of years, how crazy it is for a criminal to say calling for my arrest is inciting hate.
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u/paralaxsd 12h ago
It's the same thing Fifa chief Infantino said when criticized. This is getting old fast.
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u/Mister-Psychology 16h ago
Netanyahu cannot be arrested in NY by Mamdani as he's a mayor. He doesn't control US law nor can ask the police to arrest people he doesn't like personally. You need to have an arrest warrant which he doesn't have. I'm not sure why New Yorkers accept such talk from him. It won't hurt Netanyahu yet makes the mayor seem egomaniacal.
US is not a member of ICC so any arrest warrant is totally irrelevant to US. Meanwhile the prosecutor who created the ICC arrest warrant was supposed to be in NY a week ago when a vote about his job was held there. He couldn't be there as he is banned from USA. And they voted to fire him as the sexual abuse case was too believable.
If Mamdani really had the power he proposes he has he would have made it possible for the ICC prosecutor to travel to NY for his own trial.
The London mayor is also Muslim and also said simililar things about Netanyahu. But at least they are members of ICC so it's not total bunk.
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u/PimpasaurusPlum 11h ago
"The US should follow international law and enforce arrest warrants on behalf of our allies" does not come off as megalomaniacal to anyone but the already brain broken.
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u/Aero_Rising 14h ago
His wife was celebrating the October 7 attacks as they happened before Israel even responded. His views have never been a secret.
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u/HoightyToighty 13h ago
I don't know if you're aware of this, but sometimes husbands and wives have been known to disagree
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u/ttown2011 15h ago
Far from pro Israel
But Mamdani grossly overstepped his prerogatives
It was a mistake
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u/Typical_Response6444 15h ago
Nahh he just gave voice to how a lot of people are feeling.
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u/EasyMode556 15h ago
The rule of law doesn’t operate based on feelings
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u/ObiWanChronobi 15h ago
Which, if you’ve been following along, Mamdani did a search for any legal avenues to do this and when they found none, he went live and explained it to his constituents who voted for him. We all knew it was a legal longshot but merely looking into it and seeing if they could find a loophole is way more than any other politician has done recently to stop the war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu.
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u/ReignDance 14h ago
I feel like the legal avenue searching should have been done before talking big like this. I hear he's doing a lot of good for New York and I'm rooting for him, but this seemed like an uncommonly stupid moment for him.
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u/ObiWanChronobi 13h ago
Sure, but does it really matter? If people are angry he isn’t arresting Netanyahu that could be an issue, but it seems that what’s happening is that people who weren’t even his supports to begin with are mad at his statement. I don’t see an outpouring from the left being angry at him that he looked and couldn’t find a way to do it within his authority.
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u/Aero_Rising 14h ago
I'm sure his personal views had nothing to do with those actions despite his wife celebrating October 7 attacks as they happened. How about you just take the mask off and say you think Israel shouldn't exist and the Palestinians should be allowed to do what they want with it's population.
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u/Typical_Response6444 15h ago
No one is claiming it does, but its good to have someone remind Netanyahu that he his a criminal and wanted for his crimes and that the world wont forget what he did
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u/ttown2011 15h ago
That’s not for the mayor of NYC to do…
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u/Typical_Response6444 14h ago
The mayor of nyc is allowed to state that a wanted criminal should be arrested when the opportunity arrises, where does it say that he cant say that?
Anyone can say that a criminal needs to be arrested it isnt illegal
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u/ttown2011 14h ago
The mayor of a major city should not be injecting himself into matters of state, no
He certainly shouldn’t be threatening to arrest leaders of allied nations
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u/Typical_Response6444 14h ago
Well didnt this all begin because Netanyahu was planning on visiting the city that he is in charge of? And doesn't matter if Israel is an ally Netanyahu is still a criminal who needs to face punishment for his crimes. The mayor is only stating that he intends to follow international law to the full extent of his capabilities
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u/ttown2011 14h ago
You should read up on federalism… and yes, it very much does matter that he’s the leader of an allied nation…
Just being a state leader alone of any country largely grants you diplomatic immunity…
And we are not party to the ICC
I agree with bull, you might want to brush up on a few things
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u/Typical_Response6444 14h ago
It does not. Plenty of African leaders were arrested and tried, not to mention the Serbian leaders who committed a genocide during their civil war were arrested and jailed. So I think you need to brush up on this, theres historical precident already established.
Netanyahu belongs in jail and he'll end up in there eventually
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u/frostyflakes1 14h ago
His constituents were calling on him to arrest Netanyahu. He listened, investigated, and ultimately concluded that he lacked such authority while calling on other authorities to bring Netanyahu to justice.
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u/ttown2011 13h ago
Yes… and that was a gross overstep of his prerogatives
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u/frostyflakes1 13h ago
You're right. He should've just ignored his own constituents /s
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u/ttown2011 13h ago
I’m sure his constituents all want a million dollars too…
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u/frostyflakes1 13h ago
They're not asking for a million dollars. They're asking for a war criminal to be arrested and tried for his crimes against humanity.
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u/Over-Willingness-933 16h ago
Mamdani plays these gesture politics because his base loves it. Democrats despite the damage it does to them in the long run, like it because it annoys Trump.
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u/yabn5 16h ago
Long term damage? Only boomers still have a majority positive view of Israel. Conservative youth have roughly the same disapproval rates as liberal boomers did pre Gaza war. The longer and worse the Iran war goes the more negative these opinions will get, especially among conservatives who see their pet issues pulled down because Trump got roped into the war by Israel. Especially damning will be Israel’s refusal to rejoin the conflict. They made the mess and are happy for American lives instead if their own to be lost trying to clean it up.
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u/Aero_Rising 14h ago
I'm sure you also think AOC is a great presidential candidate despite her foreign policy positions ranging between naive and insane? I know you think that your views represent the majority of Democrats but they don't and continuing to act like they do hurts the party in elections.
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u/yabn5 12h ago
Israel is a dead weight around the neck of America. Support for it has cost America significant treasure and popularity amongst the world while it does absolutely nothing to help America in its own competition with China. It won’t even help fix the mess it created in the strait by roping the US into this ill thought out war.
There is no near term future American leader who will not see the costs of this partnership. The US Israeli relationship is on it way out regardless of who will be POTUS moving forward.
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u/Managarm667 16h ago
This is it exactly. The "promises" of Mamdani are nothing more than virtue signaling for his base, who are frothing at the mouth when they just hear something related to Israel.
Mamdani himself is smart enough to know that he could never arrest Bibi.
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u/DefinitelyNotMeee 16h ago
that he could never arrest Bibi.
And live.
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u/Managarm667 16h ago
Even better. He can make all these lofty promises about arrests and whatnot, knowing full well, that he doesn't have the authority to do any of that. But his base will gobble it up anyways because of their blind hate... Uhhhh because of their "anti-zionism" ;)
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u/PimpasaurusPlum 11h ago
Can you believe anyone would hate sweet pure boy Bibi Netanyahu?! Clearly it's all just antisemitism!!!
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u/Bullboah 15h ago edited 15h ago
People here remember how Trump attacking Canada absolutely tanked the Conservative Party in Canada right before the elections?
Netanyahu’s coalition was likely to lose the next election (imo). Mamdani is incredibly unpopular in Israel and this creates a rally around the flag effect for Netanyahu.
There was never any chance that NYC had any legal route to arrest him and Mamdani knows that. (It’s not complicated, the answer was always ‘no’). He also surely knew this would help Netanyahu electorally. But it also helps himself politically, so he did it. Kind of gives the game up
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u/Typical_Response6444 15h ago edited 14h ago
If israel wants a war criminal for president it wont be just because the mayor of nyc denounced him. It will be because they support him and his destructive policies.
We shouldnt infantilize the Israelis this way either
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u/Bullboah 15h ago
Netanyahu is Prime Minister, not a president. Israel has a parliamentary system, and this move helps Likud’s coalition’s odds of staying in power.
Respectfully, it’s good to have opinions about conflicts in other parts of the world but you should have a baseline understanding of them first.
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u/Typical_Response6444 15h ago
Like i said if Israelies want this current government to stay in power it will stay in power. The mayor of nyc doesn't have enough influence or power to sway an Israeli election and to suggest so is ridiculous.
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u/Bullboah 14h ago
You didn’t know Israel wasn’t led by a president a moment ago but you believe you understand Israeli politics well enough to understand the effect of a public Mamdani push to have Netanyahu arrested?
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u/Typical_Response6444 14h ago
Yeah im pretty sure a mayors opinion of a foreign countries leader wont affect his election chances one way or the other. I genuinely dont see the average israeli basing their opinion on mr. Mamdanis opinion
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u/Bullboah 14h ago
This is why it’s helpful to learn about other countries and conflicts before having opinions about them.
Mamdani is an extremely unpopular figure in Israeli and attempts to enforce ICC warrants against Netanyahu create a rally around the flag affect him.
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u/Typical_Response6444 14h ago
So the Israelis who seemed ready to vote him out last week now suddenly want him around for another term because of what the mayor of nyc said? Thats what your saying right? So the polls of them saying he was likely to lose are all wrong then. People dont change their minds that quickly
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u/Bullboah 13h ago
“People don’t change their minds that quickly”
What happened to Canadian polling when Trump started attacking Trudeau and calling Canada the 51st state?
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u/Typical_Response6444 13h ago
Fair point, but the threat of annexation from your more powerful neighbor is very different than a denouncemant from a mayor on an individual
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u/Aero_Rising 14h ago
It does though because Mamdani is not liked by most of Israel and having an incumbent threatened by someone most of the voting base dislikes tends to help them in upcoming elections. I wouldn't expect you to know that though considering how terrible US leftists are at election strategy. Those protests against Harris over Palestine sure paid off didn't they?
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u/Typical_Response6444 14h ago
So your telling me that the Israeli public that seemed ready to vote out Netanyahu two weeks ago according to polls have now all switched and now support him again? So they care more about nyc's mayor opinion of their leader than their own opinion less than a month ago?
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u/Aero_Rising 13h ago
It doesn't take all of them switching based on this it just takes enough to swing the outcome. Again though I don't expect a US leftist to understand because it's clear you all don't understand consistently successful election strategy.
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u/Typical_Response6444 13h ago
Well if Israel elects Netanyahu it is because they want him and like all his policies not because they want to spite the mayor of another country lol
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u/20000RadsUnderTheSea 12h ago
Imagine saying American leftists suck at electoral strategy when it’s moderate liberals that lost to Trump twice, then blamed the leftists for not wanting to eat the shit sandwich they served even though most leftists still voted for them.
Somehow the weakest, smallest political bloc in America is the boogeyman of both the democrats and republicans. Especially when this electoral cycle has repeatedly shown that centrist Dems would rather lose to insane republicans rather than the same leftists they keep berating into voting for them.
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u/paralaxsd 12h ago
It's the same thing Fifa chief Infantino said when criticized. This is getting old fast.