Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., blasted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Sunday over the mayor’s suggestion that local authorities could attempt to arrest Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu during his visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, dismissing the proposal as both unrealistic and outside the mayor’s authority.

Speaking on Fox News, Fetterman ridiculed Mamdani’s remarks, arguing that the mayor has neither the legal power nor the jurisdiction to carry out such an action.

“[He’s] such a tough guy to say that kind of thing. He has no way to do that,” Fetterman said, adding, “America’s not even part of that corrupt court,” referring to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu.

Fetterman went on to urge the mayor to focus on problems facing New York City rather than international affairs.

“He’s just a clown to even say that, so he won’t try that. Just sit down and focus on other… problems that they have in New York. That’s really not your purview. You and I know that. Sit down.”

The senator’s comments came after Mamdani told The New York Times that his administration is examining whether city officials possess the legal authority to detain Netanyahu during the Israeli leader’s expected appearance at the U.N. General Assembly. Mamdani called Netanyahu a “war criminal” and said he “belongs in The Hague.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office fired back Sunday with a sharply worded statement rejecting both the ICC’s authority and Mamdani’s remarks.

“The ICC is a kangaroo court that has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis. 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. It was a clear attempt by Khan to divert public attention and seek protection from scrutiny.”

The statement also accused Mamdani of attempting to distract from local issues by targeting Israel.

“Instead of backing Khan’s criminal behaviour, Mr. Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York. 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 United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the International Criminal Court, and therefore does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction over American citizens or allied nations such as Israel.

Fetterman, who has emerged as one of Israel’s strongest supporters among congressional Democrats, has increasingly found himself at odds with the progressive wing of his party over Middle East policy. During Sunday’s interview, he also reflected on his close friendship with the late Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, praising both his bipartisan approach and unwavering support for Israel. Graham’s sister is now being encouraged to seek the Senate seat he vacated.

“I’m proud to call Senator Graham as a friend. You know, we bonded over our love and devotion to Israel. You know, the Senator, he was working on important, important work. Yeah, he was a great American. It doesn’t mean that he was just a Republican. That doesn’t change that he’s a great American,” said Fetterman.

He continued by praising Graham’s work ethic and willingness to work across party lines.

“If anything, that poor man worked to death. He was always committed to get things done and work together. You know, he was a very bipartisan guy. Yeah, there might be some professional wrestling kind of stuff in public, but in privately, he was always the first guy to cross the bridge and to find a way forward and be very, very agreeable. You know, you can’t fill those shoes without a doubt, but I think it’s also fantastic that his sister now, it seems like she’s going to be able to carry on that legacy.”

Fetterman concluded by warning that if the Democratic Party continues embracing anti-Israel voices, he may ultimately reconsider whether he still belongs in the party.

“That would force me to kind of reevaluate should I remain as a Democrat,” he shared, later adding, “If we became the kind of party that would embrace someone like Hasan Piker, maybe my party doesn’t want like a reasonable commonsense kind of Democrat that reminds people that standing with Israel… used to be part of our core values and one of the reasons why I’ve been I’m proud to be a Democrat.”20