Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s office on Sunday sharply rebuked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after the mayor said he was consulting city lawyers about whether he could take action against Netanyahu if the Israeli leader visits New York for the United Nations General Assembly this September.

In a strongly worded statement, the Prime Minister’s Office dismissed the International Criminal Court as “a kangaroo court” and argued that it has no jurisdiction over either Americans or Israelis.

“The ICC is a kangaroo court that has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis,” the statement said.

The PMO also attacked former ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, saying the court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu was politically motivated.

“Its bogus arrest warrant against Prime Minister Netanyahu was issued by a disgraced former ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan, a few days before allegations of sexual misconduct against him became public,” the statement read. “It was a clear attempt by Khan to divert public attention and seek protection from scrutiny.”

The statement defended Israel’s conduct during the war against Hamas, saying that under Netanyahu’s leadership, Israel “has taken unprecedented wartime measures to minimize harm to civilians while confronting Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization that uses Palestinians as human shields and deliberately targets innocent Israeli civilians.”

Turning its attention to Mamdani, the Prime Minister’s Office accused the mayor of attempting to shift attention away from problems facing New York City.

“Instead of backing Khan’s criminal behavior, Mr. Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York,” the statement said.

The PMO concluded by comparing Mamdani’s actions to those of Khan.

“Like Karim Khan, Mamdani appears interested in diverting public attention from his follies and attacking the leader of the Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East.”

The exchange comes after Mamdani said in an interview that he believes Netanyahu should be arrested if he visits New York, while acknowledging that his administration is still reviewing what legal authority, if any, the city has to act.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)