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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced he will travel to New York for the U.N. General Assembly in September, despite calls for his arrest over an International Criminal Court (ICC) war crimes case. In comments reported by Africa News, Netanyahu said he was "not concerned" and intends to attend, barring security conditions.

"No, I'm not concerned, and I certainly intend to do so," Netanyahu said. "I've appeared just about every year, not every year but almost every year in my prime ministership, unless there are security conditions. But barring that, and I don't expect that to be the case this time, yes, I do intend to come to New York."

Coverage Comparison

Africa News reported that Netanyahu's statement was a response to comments from New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who said he would support efforts to enforce an ICC arrest warrant if the Israeli leader visits the city. The outlet also reported that Netanyahu dismissed the ICC's war crimes case and accused Mamdani of promoting division.

The Jerusalem Post, in a separate report, highlighted Netanyahu's confidence in the face of potential complications. According to the Jerusalem Post, during an interview with Fox News's Sean Hannity, Netanyahu said he was not afraid of landing in a country that would enforce ICC arrest warrants. When Hannity raised the scenario of a medical emergency forcing an unexpected landing, Netanyahu responded with a reference to special forces.

"Yeah, I think about it. We have special forces. You know, I served with them for five years... let's give them a new task," Netanyahu said, as quoted by the Jerusalem Post.

Key Claims

  • Netanyahu plans to travel to New York for the U.N. General Assembly in September, as reported by Africa News.
  • New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani said he would support efforts to enforce an ICC arrest warrant if Netanyahu visits, as reported by Africa News.
  • Netanyahu dismissed the ICC's war crimes case and accused Mamdani of promoting division, as reported by Africa News.
  • Netanyahu said he is not afraid of landing in a country that would enforce ICC arrest warrants, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
  • Netanyahu has special forces that could handle potential complications and served with them for five years, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.