Turkey and the mayor of New York against Netanyahu

Turkey on Friday issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and dozens of other Israeli officials on “genocide” charges, CNN reports.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said it has issued warrants against 37 people. Besides Netanyahu, warrants target Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and military chief Eyal Zamir, among others.

The warrants charge the Israeli officials with “crimes against humanity” and “genocide” committed in Gaza and against the flotilla carrying aid to the enclave, according to the prosecutor’s office. That flotilla was intercepted by Israeli authorities last month.

Israel was quick to condemn and reject the warrants.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called the move a “PR stunt” by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Hamas welcomed the warrants, saying the move “confirms the noble positions of the Turkish people and its leadership.”

Zohran Mamdani just won the race to helm New York City. He has called the Palestinian cause “central to my identity,” both in and out of politics.

Mamdani consistently and proudly associates with the pro-Palestinian movement in high-profile settings across New York City. So it’s no surprise that as Mamdani celebrates his Tuesday victory and prepares to take office on January 1, 2026, as mayor of New York — the city with the largest Jewish population in the world — Jewish New Yorkers have closely scrutinized what he has said about Jews, Israel and the conflict in the Middle East, ‘The Times of Israel’ stresses.

Below is a round-up of what Mamdani has said on a range of Israel- and Jewish-related topics in a variety of interviews that have made headlines:

- During the long mayoral primary campaign, Mamdani repeatedly said that Israel has a right to exist, though he has not said it has a right to exist as a Jewish state. He usually qualifies the statement by adding that Israel is flouting its responsibilities under international law, based on its treatment of Palestinians.

He has been asked if Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state. As he stated at the town hall with the UJA-Federation, he feels it should exist “with equal rights for all.”

- On the second anniversary of the October 7 attack, last month, he issued an extensive statement saying that he mourned those killed by Hamas, which he said had committed a “horrific war crime,” and condemned both the Israeli government and the US government for being “complicit” with Israel’s response.

“The occupation and apartheid must end,” he wrote. “Peace must be pursued through diplomacy, not war crimes, and our government must act to end these atrocities.”

- “As mayor, New York City would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu,” Mamdani said to former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan, an outspoken, harsh critic of Israel, in December. “This is a city that our values are in line with international law.”

And he reiterated the same points in September when Netanyahu came to New York City for the United Nations General Assembly.

The International Criminal Court, headquartered in The Hague, issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu — along with former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif — last year, accusing him of war crimes. Given that the United States is not a party to the ICC, it would be highly unlikely that the mayor of New York would be able legally to arrest Netanyahu.

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