New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has stated that his administration is conducting an active conversation
with the city’s legal department regarding whether to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he arrives in the city this September for the United Nations General Assembly. The mayor’s comments, made during a Saturday appearance on the New York Times podcast “The Interview,” have sparked significant condemnation from various political figures.
Mayor Mamdani’s Position
During the podcast, Mamdani reiterated his stance that the prime minister belongs at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court. And what you will find is that is an opinion that is held by many purely because of what his actions have wrought over these last many years,
Mamdani said. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024, accusing him and other Israeli leaders of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, including starvation as a method of warfare, and … murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.
Mamdani acknowledged that it remains unclear whether he possesses the legal authority to order the New York Police Department to detain a foreign leader. Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that’s what we will do,
Mamdani stated. But we won’t be writing our own laws to that end.
During his mayoral campaign last fall, Mamdani had previously characterized Israel’s military actions in Gaza as a genocide and stated that he would order the NYPD to arrest Netanyahu if he set foot in the city, while also condemning the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks as a horrific war crime.
Federal and Political Reaction
President Donald Trump pushed back on the possibility on Monday, stating definitively that Netanyahu will not be arrested
when he visits New York in September. The Israeli Prime Minister’s office also released a statement on Sunday dismissing the mayor’s remarks. The statement described the ICC as a kangaroo court that has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis
and labeled the arrest warrant “bogus.” The statement further alleged that the warrant was issued by former ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan as an attempt to divert attention from allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
Within the Democratic Party, the mayor’s comments drew immediate criticism. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) criticized Mamdani’s remarks as a “tough guy” comment, telling Fox News, Obviously, America’s not even part of that corrupt court. And so he’s just a clown to even say that.
Eric Adams, Mamdani’s predecessor, similarly characterized the threat as “reckless” rather than “bold.”
Mamdani’s comments followed a Wednesday vote in which 103 House Democrats moved to cut off military aid to Israel for the upcoming fiscal year. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California) addressed the broader context on Fox News, stating, The ICC and ICJ have a legal process. That case will go forward. My bigger concern is how do we get out of this war?
Sources: Washingtonpost, CNBC.