WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews) – Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., sharply criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday, dismissing the mayor’s comments about potentially arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and telling him to focus on basic municipal duties instead of foreign policy.

Fetterman, speaking during an appearance on Fox News,  responded to Mamdani’s recent statements suggesting New York authorities might enforce an International Criminal Court warrant against Netanyahu during the Israeli leader’s expected visit for the U.N. General Assembly in September.

“Now you have the mayor of a city. You’re a mayor, dude. You’re a mayor. You can fix a pothole. You can take out the trash. But you can’t order people to arrest anybody any more than I could. I couldn’t have him arrested if he came to Pennsylvania. It’s a joke, and he’s a clown,” Fetterman said.

He continued: “He also said that Netanyahu is not welcome in New York. You can’t say that any more than I can say, ‘Mayor, you’re not welcome in Pennsylvania.’ So sit down. I know you’re a clown, and you’re just going to pander to the fringe because that’s part of your base.”

Fetterman accused Mamdani of selective criticism, saying the mayor targets only Israel’s prime minister while remaining silent on Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.

“I know you’re angry at Netanyahu because he killed a lot of people you admire, whether it’s Sinwar, Nasrallah, or Qaani in Iran. He’ll only criticize the prime minister of Israel, but he never criticizes Hamas. He never criticizes Hezbollah or Iran. I’ve never heard the mayor condemn Iran for killing 30,000 or 40,000 of its own young people who were simply asking for democracy in their country,” Fetterman said.

Mamdani has previously indicated he was reviewing whether the city had authority to act on the ICC warrant. The United States is not a party to the ICC, and mayors lack power to order such arrests of foreign leaders. Mamdani later stated publicly that New York does not have independent legal authority to enforce the warrant and called on the federal government to act instead.

Fetterman, a consistent supporter of Israel within the Democratic Party, has repeatedly urged colleagues and progressive figures to prioritize local governance over international posturing on the issue.