After Republican councilwoman Inna Vernikov invited Benjamin Netanyahu to New York on Jan. 1, the day of the inauguration of newly elected mayor Zohran Mamdani, the Israeli prime minister assured that he would visit “soon,” according to a New York Post report.
Mamdani, a Democrat, famously said on the campaign trail that he would handcuff Netanyahu if he ever dared to set foot in New York.
Vernikov, a conservative and critic of Mamdani, called on the prime minister to “reaffirm the deep and enduring bond” between New York and the Jewish state.
In response to Vernikov’s invitation, Netanyahu said, “a kind invitation,” but not on January 1.
“Even if I miss that day, I assure you that I will visit New York soon. And I would very much like to see you at that time,” the report quoted the Israeli prime minister as saying.
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Curious about Mamdani’s reaction
Vernikova told the news portal that she is looking forward to Mamdani’s reaction when the prime minister arrives in New York.
A lawyer and Jewish advocate of Ukrainian descent said that “the mayor of New York has no legal authority to arrest the sitting prime minister of the State of Israel.” Either Mamdani knew this and blatantly lied to attract clicks and votes, or he is too incompetent to do a simple Google search.
“Mamdani is a fraud and soon the spoiled children who voted for him will see that he is a fraud,” she said.
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Check out Mamdani’s other exploits
Amid alleged anti-Semitic hate crimes in the city in recent days, Vernikov looks to the incoming mayor’s next steps.
“I look forward to seeing Benjamin Netanyahu in New York, and the Jewish community will be delighted to welcome him amid surging anti-Semitism at home and around the world,” she assured.
Mamdani’s Promise
Mamdani, a Muslim immigrant, vowed during his campaign to use the New York Police Department to arrest Netanyahu if he visits the city again, citing a 2024 International Criminal Court warrant for the leader’s alleged war crimes in Gaza, which the US does not recognize.
Last year, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, saying there were “reasonable grounds” to believe the two were “responsible for the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population.”
In an interview with Australian broadcaster Erin Molan last month, Netanyahu said he was “not afraid” of trips to New York.
In September, pro-Israel congresswoman Elise Štefánik led a bill to stop a plan by “anti-Semitic communists” to arrest Netanyahu.
“Kathy Hochul refused to condemn Mamdani’s anti-Semitic and illegal promise to arrest Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu,” Štefánik said in a statement to The Post. “Kathy Hochul bent the knee to the anti-American anti-Semites she allowed to take over the NY Democratic Party under her watch.”
