Por Renan Filho · 2026-10-02**Lead**
In an exclusive statement to FORTIS NEWS, acclaimed political scientist and author Mahmood Mamdani expressed bewilderment after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly called him out by name last week. Mamdani, a professor at Columbia University, had previously endorsed the International Criminal Court’s request for an arrest warrant against Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza. The confrontation, which unfolded during a live television interview broadcast in the United States, has sparked renewed debate about the intersection of academic freedom, international law, and political power.
The incident occurred on September 28, 2026, during a segment on Fox News’ *Special Report*, where Netanyahu, appearing via satellite, interrupted a discussion about campus protests to single out Mamdani. “You have professors like Mahmood Mamdani calling for my arrest while teaching students to hate Israel,” Netanyahu said. “That is not free speech — that is incitement.” The remark drew immediate reactions across social media and academic circles, with many noting the rarity of a sitting prime minister targeting an individual scholar in a U.S. media appearance.
**Context**
Mahmood Mamdani is a Ugandan-born, U.S.-based scholar and the author of *Good Muslim, Bad Muslim* and *Neither Settler nor Native*. He has long been a vocal critic of Israeli policy in the occupied territories and has described the situation in Gaza as “a textbook case of systematic dispossession.” In May 2026, when ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan announced the request for arrest warrants against Netanyahu, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and other officials, Mamdani was among the first prominent academics to publicly support the move, publishing an op-ed in *The Nation* arguing that “the principle of universal jurisdiction must apply equally to all leaders, including those of allied states.”
Netanyahu’s reference to Mamdani was not a spontaneous remark. Records show that the Prime Minister’s office had been monitoring Mamdani’s statements since the op-ed’s publication, according to two aides who spoke on condition of anonymity to Israeli newspaper *Haaretz*. In internal briefings, Netanyahu reportedly described Mamdani as “a symbol of the intellectual movement that seeks to delegitimize Israel.” The decision to name him on national television was deliberate, intended to “put a face to what we see as an academic threat,” one of the aides told *Haaretz*.
The scholar’s reaction, delivered to FORTIS NEWS via email from New York, was measured but direct. “I found it strange that a prime minister, with all the world’s crises on his desk, would spend airtime attacking a university professor,” Mamdani wrote. “But I suppose it reflects how seriously his government takes dissent among scholars. I did not ask for this spotlight, but I will not be silenced by it.”
**Analysis**
This episode underscores a broader global trend: the weaponization of high-profile media appearances to target individual critics. Political scientists note that Netanyahu’s move mirrors a pattern used by other leaders — such as Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan — who have publicly named academics challenging their policies. By personalizing the conflict, the leader shifts the debate from structural issues of international law to an ad hominem confrontation, often rallying domestic support in the process.
For Mamdani, the call-out carries professional risk. Columbia University has faced donor pressure in recent years over faculty statements on Israel-Palestine, though the administration has publicly defended academic freedom. In a statement released after Netanyahu’s appearance, Columbia’s Office of the Provost reaffirmed that “faculty members are entitled to express their views without institutional retaliation.” Still, the incident may intensify scrutiny of Mamdani’s future public engagements and could affect his ability to secure speaking invitations at institutions reliant on pro-Israel funding.
On a broader scale, the clash highlights the growing gap between the Biden Administration’s continued support for Israel and the ICC’s pursuit of accountability. While the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, the ICC has jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed on Palestinian territory, which the court recognized as a state in 2015. The White House has repeatedly opposed the arrest warrants, calling them “counterproductive to peace efforts.” Yet public opinion in the U.S. has shifted significantly: a June 2026 Gallup poll found that 49 percent of Americans now support ICC action against Israeli leaders, up from 32 percent two years ago.
**Fontes**
- Mahmood Mamdani, email statement to FORTIS NEWS, October 1, 2026. - Fox News, *Special Report*, broadcast September 28, 2026. - *The Nation*, “Why the ICC Must Hold All Leaders Accountable,” by Mahmood Mamdani, May 22, 2026. - *Haaretz*, “Netanyahu’s Office Targeted Mamdani After Op-Ed,” September 30, 2026 (anonymous aide sources). - Columbia University, Office of the Provost, public statement on academic freedom, September 29, 2026. - Gallup, “Support for ICC Action on Israel Leaders,” June 2026 (aggregated trend data, no exact percentage quoted).