Israeli Envoy Says Netanyahu Will Attend UN Despite Demands for Arrest

Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make a 24-hour visit to the U.N. General Assembly later this month, despite calls by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for his arrest.

Netanyahu is scheduled to arrive in New York late on Sept. 23, Danon said.

The Israeli prime minister is set to address world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly the following day and return to Israel later that night. According to Danon, there is “no option” but for the Israeli leader to attend.

The visit comes after Mamdani earlier this year described Netanyahu as a “war criminal” and urged that he be arrested if he entered New York City, before later acknowledging that the city has no legal authority to enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.

Danon said Mamdani was exploiting Israel for political purposes.

“You know, it became very trendy to do politics by blaming Israel,” the ambassador said, arguing that criticism of Israel had become a convenient political tool. “For us, it’s important the prime minister will come.”

Danon said Netanyahu’s participation in the General Assembly is especially significant because this year’s high-level meetings coincide with the Jewish holidays and Israel’s October election campaign, as the prime minister seeks to remain in office.

Despite the compressed itinerary, Danon indicated Israel had no intention of changing its plans because of anticipated demonstrations or political pressure.

The ambassador said protests against Netanyahu would likely “create more chaos” on New York streets during the Sept. 22–28 gathering of world leaders. Even so, he expressed confidence that the prime minister would not be deterred.

Netanyahu has repeatedly said he intends to travel to New York regardless of the controversy surrounding the visit.

“I’m going to New York,” Netanyahu said during a July 28 interview on Fox News’ “Hannity” following his White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. “I’m going to speak the truth in front of this hate-spewing elected official who’s pitting one group of New Yorkers against the others; he’s turning them against New York Jews.”

The Israeli leader made similar comments during a July 26 appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” responding to a video in which Mamdani called him a “war criminal.”

According to the interview, Netanyahu accused the mayor of “fomenting hate” and said he was supposed to represent “all New Yorkers—Jews, Christians, Muslims, everyone.”

Ahead of the General Assembly, Danon also criticized the United Nations over what he described as a pattern of unfairly blaming Israel for developments related to the war in Gaza.

In a Sept. 8 post on X summarizing an interview with Piers Morgan, Danon said the U.N. continued to fault Israel regardless of the circumstances.

“I spoke about the hypocrisy of the U.N.: No matter what happens—in the end, Israel is to blame,” Danon wrote.

The Epoch Times reached out to the U.N. spokesperson’s office for comment but didn’t receive a response by publication time.

Arrest Warrant Dispute

Mamdani’s call for the arrest of Netanyahu stems from arrest warrants issued by the ICC in 2024 for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the war in Gaza.

Israel rejects the allegations, and both Netanyahu and Gallant deny wrongdoing.

Trump rejected the prospect of Netanyahu being detained during a visit to the United States.

“Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form,” Trump said on July 20.

At the start of Israel’s weekly Cabinet meeting on July 26, Netanyahu said he had spoken with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who reiterated “the U.S. intention to act firmly against” the ICC.

The ICC case is rooted in the war that began after the Hamas terrorist group attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 Israelis and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said on Sept. 7 that 73,658 people had been killed in Gaza since the conflict began. The Epoch Times could not independently verify the figures.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.