Netanyahu Dismisses Concerns About Visiting NYC Under Mayor Mamdani

JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is “not afraid” to travel to New York City despite the election of Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, who has previously suggested he would seek to arrest the prime minister if he visited the city.

In an interview with Australian journalist Erin Molan, Netanyahu criticized Mamdani’s leadership and political views, particularly regarding economics and antisemitism. “It’s good to be a young leader, but it’s not good to be a young, uneducated leader,” Netanyahu said, urging Mamdani to improve his understanding of economic policy and societal threats before any dialogue.

Netanyahu highlighted Israel’s shift from semi-socialism to a free-market economy, crediting these reforms with turning the country into a global technology hub. He also warned that antisemitism, which Mamdani has been accused of supporting, can have broad societal consequences. “Antisemitism usually collapses societies,” Netanyahu said. “It starts with the Jews, then goes to the blacks, the gays, the Hispanics… and it just collapses societies.”

While Netanyahu signaled he would be open to discussion with the mayor, he stressed that meaningful engagement would require Mamdani to reconsider his positions first. “I have a lot of dialogues that I’m engaged in right now, a lot. And I think this one… he should get his act together before he makes these statements,” Netanyahu said.

The comments come amid heightened attention on Mamdani’s election as New York’s first Muslim mayor, raising questions about how his policies and rhetoric could affect Jewish residents in the city.