New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said his office is still looking into arresting Benjamin Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister visits the city for the United Nations General Assembly in September.
Mamdani raised the possibility of a Mamdani Netanyahu arrest during an appearance on The New York Times’ “The Interview” podcast.
Mamdani said his administration’s legal department is actively discussing the potential arrest, something he had vowed on the campaign trail to pursue. “I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mamdani said. “He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court.
“What Mamdani Says the Law AllowsAsked what he believed the law permitted him to do, Mamdani said the matter remained an active conversation with his legal department. He added that while some at the national level have shown a willingness to operate outside the bounds of legality, that was not an approach his administration intended to take.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders in 2024, accusing them of war crimes during and after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. Both President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden have denounced the ICC warrant.
The US has not ratified the Rome Statute, the treaty that obliges signatory countries to arrest individuals subject to ICC warrants. The Trump administration has escalated its standoff with the court, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently vowing to dismantle it and accusing it of waging war against the US through international law rather than force.
Mamdani’s History of Criticising IsraelMamdani has been a consistent critic of the Israeli government and has repeatedly described Israel’s war in Gaza as a genocide, a characterisation Israel denies.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz dismissed Mamdani’s comments on Saturday as pure political theatre, noting that the United States is not a member of the ICC. Speaking earlier in the week to WABC radio host Sid Rosenberg, Netanyahu dismissed concerns about Mamdani’s calls for his arrest.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said on social media Saturday that Netanyahu will travel to New York, address the UN General Assembly, and state Israel’s position and its right to defend its citizens.
