Netanyahu Confirms New York Trip for UN General Assembly, to Address UN on September 24
By AMICHAI STEIN, ESTHER DAVIS
The statement comes after New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani admitted on July 22 that he does not have the authority to enforce the International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Netanyahu.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to the United States on September 23 to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, the Prime Minister’s Office announced Monday.
The visit will take place on September 23-25, following Yom Kippur and ahead of the Sukkot holiday.
Netanyahu is expected to address the General Assembly on Thursday, September 24.
The prime minister last visited New York for the 80th UNGA in September 2025, before New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani was elected, when he delivered an address denouncing Western countries for embracing Palestinian statehood.
“You know what message the leaders who recognize the Palestinian state this week sent to the Palestinians? It’s a very clear message: murdering Jews pays off,” Netanyahu told the 80th UNGA.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives for a briefing near the Salem military post between Israel and the West Bank, Tuesday, July 4, 2023
Netanyahu to visit New York after Mamdani retracts call for arrest
The statement comes after New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani admitted on July 22 that he does not have the authority to enforce the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister.
Since his 2025 campaign for Mayor of New York City, Mamdani has promised to order the New York Police Department (NYPD) to arrest Netanyahu if he entered the city.
In a September 2025 interview with the New York Times, Mamdani called Netanyahu “a war criminal who was committing a genocide in Gaza,” adding that he would have the prime minister arrested as soon as he landed in New York. He added that he “intended to fulfill” his promise.
Throughout his time as mayor Mamdani has repeated his assertation that the NYPD would arrest Netanyahu if he entered the city. In July, Mamdani told NYT podcast host Lulu Garcia-Navarro that “Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in the Hague.”
“He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the ICC,” Mamdani added. “And what you will find is that it is an opinion that is held by many, purely because of what his actions have wrought over these last many years.” In the same interview he admitted that he may not have the legal authority to carry out such arrest.
Mamdani retracts threat of arrest, calls Netanyahu ‘war criminal’
In a post to social media on July 22, titled “Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal,” Mamdani reiterated his previous accusations that Netanyahu was responsible for an alleged “genocide against Palestinian people” and preventing humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.
Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal. pic.twitter.com/YRezmW6YVx
— Mayor Zohran Kwame
Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 22, 2026
“He is responsible for the killing of more than 73,000 people. For the maiming of tens of thousands of children,” Mamdani claimed, adding that “Anyone with their eyes, with their heart, with their conscience, should recognize the devastation he has wrought.”
“He belongs before a court of law.”
In the post, the New York Mayor admitted that he lacked the legal authority to execute the ICC arrest warrant. However, he maintained that Netanyahu “is not welcome in New York City.”
