Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he plans to visit New York “soon,” weeks after Brooklyn Councilwoman Inna Vernikova publicly invited him to come Jan. 1, the inauguration day of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
While Netanyahu said he would not be able to come on January 1, he confirmed his intention to visit the city later.
“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,” Netanyahu wrote to Vernikov in a letter on official papers, according to a report in The New York Post.
Vernikov’s invitation and political provocation
Vernikov, a conservative councilor, extended the invitation in a sharp response to Mamdani’s campaign remarks in which he vowed to arrest Netanyahu if the Israeli leader ever set foot in New York.
She said the invitation was meant to “reaffirm the deep and enduring bond” between New York and Israel.
Vernikov later told The New York Post that she was anxiously watching the mayor-elect’s reaction when Netanyahu finally arrived.
“No legal authority to arrest a sitting prime minister”
Vernikov rejected Mamdani’s pledge, saying the elected mayor had no legal standing to respond to such threats.
“The mayor of New York has no legal authority to arrest the sitting prime minister of the State of Israel,” she said.
“Either Mamdani knew this and blatantly lied for clickbait and votes, or he is too incompetent to run a simple Google search,” she added.
Vernikov went further, calling Mamdani a “fraud” and predicting that “the spoiled children who voted for him will see him for the fraud that he is.”
Fears of anti-Semitism are high
Vernikov’s comments come amid a recent spate of anti-Semitic hate crimes in New York. She said the Jewish community would warmly welcome Netanyahu’s visit given growing concerns.
“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 said.
Mamdani Cits ICC Guarantee
During his campaign, Mamdani said he would instruct the NYPD to arrest Netanyahu if he returned to the city, citing a 2024 International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
The United States does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC.
In late 2024, the court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, saying there were “reasonable grounds” to believe they were responsible for war crimes related to attacks on civilians.
