Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani of fomenting hate and indirectly causing the stabbing of a Jewish man on the Upper West Side, tying the attack to Mamdani’s earlier threats to have him arrested under an ICC warrant.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directly linked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to a stabbing attack on a Jewish man, tying it to Mamdani’s public talk of having him arrested over alleged Gaza war crimes. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Netanyahu didn’t hold back. He accused Mamdani of stirring up hatred rather than fulfilling his duty as mayor to serve everyone in the city, Jews, Christians, Muslims alike. Instead, Netanyahu argued, Mamdani was pitting communities against each other and spreading fear.
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
The Israeli leader said he regularly hears from Jewish Americans in New York who tell him they feel genuinely afraid right now. He went further, suggesting a direct connection between Mamdani’s rhetoric and the stabbing itself, noting that the attack on a Jewish man leaving a synagogue happened just one day after what he described as Mamdani’s hate speech against both Israel and himself.
The Arrest Threat That Started It
The tension traces back to earlier this month, when Mamdani told the New York Times he was in talks with city lawyers about arresting Netanyahu under an International Criminal Court warrant, should the Israeli leader travel to New York for the UN General Assembly in September. That warrant dates back to 2024, when the ICC charged Netanyahu and his then defense minister, Yoav Gallant, with war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Mamdani addressed the issue directly in a video statement released late Tuesday. He acknowledged he lacks the independent legal power to actually enforce the ICC warrant, but he didn’t soften his language, calling Netanyahu a war criminal and declaring him unwelcome in New York City.
The Stabbing Attack
The incident Netanyahu referenced took place Thursday afternoon on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Moshe Grunhaus, 50, was leaving a Jewish religious service while wearing a yarmulke when he was stabbed in the chest with a screwdriver. According to the Independent’s reporting, the attacker shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the assault. The same attacker is also accused of stabbing 57 year old Chok Sung, an Asian man, in the back with a knife during a separate incident.
Police arrested Raul Morales, 51, in connection with both attacks. He faces charges of attempted murder and assault, with both incidents classified as hate crimes.
