After Anti-Netanyahu Video, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Calls for New York City Mayor’s Arrest

After New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani published a video declaring that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a "war criminal" and calling on U.S. federal authorities to take action against him, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee launched a sharp attack this morning (Wednesday) against Mamdani and even called for his arrest, accusing him of incitement and antisemitism.

In a post he published, Huckabee wrote that Mamdani is not merely an "ignorant racist opponent," but someone who is deliberately working to incite against Jews: "It is easy to say that the mayor of New York is just an ignorant racist opponent, but he is not stupid."

Huckabee then escalated his tone: "He is an evil antisemite who deliberately lies about serious things like 'genocide' in order to stir up hatred toward Jews. If anyone needs to be arrested, it is the mayor of New York for incitement. New York City should be ashamed."

The remarks came in response to a video published by Mamdani, in which he called Netanyahu a "war criminal." In the video, he clarified that New York City does not have the legal authority to arrest the prime minister if he arrives in the city, but he called on the U.S. federal government to act on the matter. The video sparked widespread reaction on social media and has so far drawn millions of views.

Sharp reactions were also recorded in the American political arena. Republican Senator Tim Scott attacked Mamdani and wrote that his remarks are unacceptable: "Zohran Mamdani calls Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal - that is completely ridiculous." In his words, "That same crowd that rushes to condemn Israel never has much to say about the terrorists who started the war, massacred civilians, kidnapped children, and are still hiding behind their own people. Mamdani wants the headline that comes from attacking Netanyahu, not the consistency that comes with confronting Hamas."