U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Wednesday called New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani an “evil anti-Semite who deliberately lies about serious things like ‘genocide’ to stoke Jew hate.”

Huckabee’s comments on social media come after Mamdani said he was actively seeking to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his New York City visit for the United Nations General Assembly in September. Mamdani first made the pledge during his mayoral campaign, branding Netanyahu a “war criminal” and the “architect of a horrific genocide” in Gaza.” On Tuesday, Mamdani admitted his office lacks the power to arrest Netanyahu, but he urged the Trump administration to do so.

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump dismissed any notion of Netanyahu being arrested while in the U.S., in a post on Truth Social. 

Netanyahu’s warrant alleges he is responsible for war crimes of starvation and intentionally directing attacks against Gaza’s civilian population, as well as the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts from Oct. 8, 2023, until May 20, 2024.

“Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people. He is responsible for the killing of 73,000 people, for the maiming of tens of thousands of children,” Mamdani said in a post on X. 

“For the countless people he starved, as he blocked food and humanitarian aid from reaching them. For the gunning down of hundreds of aid workers and journalists, there’s a reason the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest,” the mayor continued.