The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has expressed concern that Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s recent public statements are escalating security challenges for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s scheduled trip to New York.
Netanyahu is slated to arrive in the city next month for the United Nations General Assembly, where he will address the assembly on September 26.
NYPD officials told the NYP that safeguarding Netanyahu will require a level of protection commensurate with a presidential visit. Officers cited Mamdani’s calls for Netanyahu’s arrest and public exhortations for protests as the primary sources of their concern.
“Basically, he’s turning a routine Category 1 threat into a Category 5 because of his words,” an NYPD source told the NYP.
“We have to protect hotels; we have to protect wherever dignitaries go to eat; we have to protect everything,” the officer added. “Having the mayor say ‘Go ahead and protest, and he should be arrested’ places an unfair burden on our officers.”
Netanyahu’s full itinerary for his visit to New York remains undisclosed, so the exact number of officers needed for his protection is still uncertain, though officials anticipate that 60 or more personnel, including both direct and peripheral forces, may be deployed.
Law Enforcement Calls for Heightened Security Ahead of Netanyahu Visit
“What will prevent a protester from turning into a vigilante and attempting to harm—or worse, kill—Netanyahu?” the source questioned.
Officers have also voiced concerns that protesters who believe they are acting on the mayor’s behalf could put officers at risk of injury or death, according to the NYP.
Another NYPD source recalled the bomb discovered Realtor…
The remark was made that the mayor’s rhetoric emboldens radical agitators who could threaten both residents and law‑enforcement officers.
A New York City government source also highlighted the recent rise in antisemitism, linking it to Mamdani’s stance on Israel.
“It’s very concerning,”rachen said. “Mamdani’s rhetoric has clearly sparked an uptick in antisemitism across the city, and encouraging people to protest is set to create a powder‑keg situationipher.”
“It’s not the mayor’s job to urge protests or compel arrests,” the government source concluded, warning of the likely violence that could ensue.
Mamdani’s Long‑Standing Anti‑Netanyahu Rhetoric
Mamdani’s emphasis on opposing Netanyahu has been a consistent theme during both his 2025 mayoral campaign and his tenure in office. During the campaign, he pledged that he would seek to enforce International Criminal Court warrants to arrest the Israeli Prime Minister if elected.
He reiterated the pledge in a recent interview with The New York Times in July.
“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City will be enforced, but we are not drafting our own laws for that purpose,” Mamdani said.
Later that week, Mamdani admitted in a video from the mayor’s office that his administration lacks the authority to execute the ICC’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu.
Despite that limitation, he continued to accuse Netanyahu of responsible for what he described as genocide against the Palestinian people and for blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza, adding that Netanyahu is “not welcome in New York City.”