JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday sharply criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, accusing him of “fomenting hate” and saying his rhetoric has left many Jewish New Yorkers feeling unsafe.

In an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, Netanyahu pointed to Mamdani’s repeated criticism of Israel and his statements that he would seek to have the Israeli leader arrested if he visited New York under an International Criminal Court warrant.

“Look at what he’s doing,” Netanyahu said. “He’s fomenting hate. He’s supposed to be the mayor of all New Yorkers — Jews, Christians, Muslims, everyone. But he’s trying to turn one group against the other.”

Netanyahu also suggested, without providing evidence, that Mamdani’s rhetoric may have contributed to Thursday’s stabbing of a Jewish man outside a synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

“I don’t think it’s accidental that after he made this hate speech against Israel and against me, the next day, a Jew is stabbed coming out of a synagogue,” Netanyahu said, referring to the attack in which police said the suspect allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar.”

The prime minister said Jewish residents have told him they are increasingly afraid to openly display their faith.

“They say, ‘We’re afraid to go into the streets. We certainly do not want to wear yarmulkes or any clothing that would give away that we’re Jews,'” Netanyahu said. “I think that’s part of this incitement language.”

Netanyahu also accused Mamdani of aligning himself with Hamas, saying the mayoral candidate’s rhetoric was “very bad for New York” and “very bad for peace.”

Mamdani has called Netanyahu “the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people” and has said he would not welcome the Israeli leader to New York if elected mayor. He also said he would seek to enforce the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Netanyahu, though he later acknowledged that a New York City mayor lacks the legal authority to carry out such an arrest.

Israel rejects the ICC’s jurisdiction and denies allegations that it has committed war crimes in Gaza. Mamdani has repeatedly denied accusations of antisemitism, saying his criticism is directed at the Israeli government and its policies rather than Jewish people.

My answer to Mamdani: I will come to New York to fight for the truth of the Jewish people 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/loZCQNBMx8

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) July 26, 2026