By: Abe Wertenheim

New York City Mayor Eric Adams placed himself squarely in the center of the city’s most contentious political debate this week, announcing that he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the leader’s upcoming visit while forcefully condemning Democratic mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani’s radical pledge to have Netanyahu arrested.

As reported in The New York Daily News, Adams confirmed his meeting with Netanyahu during a Thursday morning press conference, framing the encounter as part of his broader commitment to engaging world leaders and affirming New York’s role as an international capital. “There’s several heads of states I’m going to meet with,” Adams said, according to The New York Daily News. “I’m looking forward to meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu when he arrives in the city as well. He will be welcomed like our other dignitaries.”

The remarks drew immediate attention not only for the mayor’s embrace of a foreign leader currently facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, but also for his sharp rebuke of Mamdani, who has made opposition to Israel a defining plank of his campaign.

The political divide between Adams and Mamdani has crystallized around their contrasting views on Israel and its leaders. Mamdani, a Queens assemblyman who stunned the political establishment by winning the Democratic mayoral primary, has repeatedly threatened to order the New York Police Department to arrest Netanyahu should he enter the city under an ICC warrant.

The United States does not recognize the authority of the International Criminal Court, and Adams underscored that point forcefully. As quoted by The New York Daily News, he told reporters: “You have a right to come here and voice the positions from your country. And we respect the rule of law here. We don’t react in a reckless manner of stating that we’re going to arrest a dignitary that’s here.”

The comments were widely interpreted as a direct rebuke of Mamdani’s pledge, which critics argue undermines the city’s reputation as a hub of diplomacy and international engagement.

Adams, a longtime and vocal supporter of Israel, has consistently framed New York as a city that must welcome foreign dignitaries regardless of political disagreements. In 2023, he traveled to Israel to meet with Netanyahu and other leaders, a trip that The New York Daily News report noted as part of Adams’ effort to cement ties with Israel’s government and the city’s Jewish community.

Netanyahu’s visit to New York comes at a politically charged moment. The Israeli prime minister is also scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump next week, underscoring the convergence of domestic American politics and Israel’s international standing. For Adams, the meeting represents both continuity—following his 2023 trip—and contrast, as it provides an opportunity to distinguish his leadership from Mamdani’s hardline positions.

The New York Daily News report emphasized that Adams’ decision to meet Netanyahu signals a clear rejection of Mamdani’s call for confrontation. It also reflects the mayor’s strategic effort to carve out an independent political identity as he pursues re-election outside the Democratic Party line.