New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said his administration is still discussing whether there is any legal way to act if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the city in September for the United Nations General Assembly. Speaking to The New York Times, Mamdani said the issue is under review with the city’s Law Department.
While he repeated that he believes Netanyahu should face the International Criminal Court (ICC), he also made it clear that his office will only act within the limits of the law. Netanyahu has dismissed the remarks and strongly pushed back.
Zohran Mamdani on Netanyahu arrest
In his interview with The New York Times, Mamdani said, “I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in the Hague.” He added, “He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court.”
Mamdani continued, “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.”
The mayor said his office is in “an active conversation” with New York City’s Law Department to understand what powers, if any, he has if Netanyahu comes to Manhattan for the UN General Assembly in September.
Mamdani admitted he is unsure whether he can direct the NYPD to arrest the Israeli leader. Still, he said his administration will follow whatever the law permits. “Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that’s what we will do, but we won’t be writing our own laws to that end,” he said.
The United States does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction, even though the court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 over alleged war crimes in Gaza. Israel rejects those allegations.
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Benjamin Netanyahu responds to Zohran Mamdani’s comments
Netanyahu rejected Mamdani’s position during an interview this week with Sid Rosenberg on 77 WABC. “I think he should look at who he’s condemning, who he’s praising. He’s condemning Israel, the one democracy that stands shoulder to shoulder with American values,” Netanyahu said.
He continued, “Who does he champion? Hamas, that calls openly to massacre every Jew on earth, that conducted that horrible massacre [on Oct. 7, 2023], the worst massacre on Jews since the Holocaust.”
The Israeli prime minister also said, “He doesn’t care” that “those who hate the Jews and Israel ultimately hate America.” He added, “And in fact I think secretly, he hates America.”
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Netanyahu is also expected to travel to Washington later this month for meetings after his earlier US trip was delayed because Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral was rescheduled. The visit would be his first trip to Washington since the conflict with Iran began in February.
