The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of attacking the Jewish state to deflect from his own record in New York, after Mamdani stated his administration was exploring the possibility of arresting the prime minister during a potential visit to the city.

Mamdani, a Democrat, had called Netanyahu a "war criminal" in a recent interview and suggested his administration was looking into whether it could enforce an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Netanyahu's office responded Sunday via an X post, calling the ICC a "kangaroo court" with no jurisdiction over Israelis or Americans. The office further alleged that the warrant was issued by a "disgraced former ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan, a few days before allegations of sexual misconduct against him became public," suggesting it was an attempt to divert attention from Khan's alleged issues.

"Instead of backing Khan's criminal behaviour, Mr. Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York," Netanyahu's office stated. "Like Karim Khan, Mamdani appears interested in diverting public attention from his follies and attacking the leader of the Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East."

Israel has maintained that it will ignore the ICC warrant as it continues its operations against Hamas, which it designates as a "genocidal terrorist organization."

The mayor's remarks drew criticism from various political figures. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested Mamdani was engaging in "political theater" and described him as an "antisemitic mayor trying to make news for his own audience." Pompeo stated that there was no chance Mamdani could arrest Netanyahu during a potential September visit for the U.N. General Assembly.

Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams also criticized Mamdani's stance, warning on X that such rhetoric was "reckless" and could "put Americans at greater risk abroad." He emphasized that threatening the leader of a close U.S. ally during the U.N. General Assembly week was not "bold" but potentially dangerous.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., also weighed in, calling Mamdani a "clown" and stating that he had no authority to enforce such a warrant, particularly since the United States is not a member of the ICC. Fetterman advised the mayor to "sit down and focus on other the problems that they have in New York."