A potentially tense situation for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is approaching in the fall, as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has voiced his intent to arrest the politician for war crimes if he steps foot in the city.
Mamdani expressed those sentiments during an interview with The New York Times, which was published on Saturday (July 18). He was asked on what he would do given that Netanyahu is reportedly planning to attend the United Nations General Assembly taking place in New York in September.
“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mamdani replied. “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.”
He added, “I’ve also said that I will follow the laws that we have here in New York City because I believe that there is an importance in following the law as a leader who presides over our city.” When asked for clarification, Mamdani stated again that he would do what would be permissible within the law, stating that “we won’t be writing our own laws to that end.”
Mamdani has consistently stated that he believes Netanyahu should be arrested per the November 2024 ruling of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. That ruling alleged that Netanyahu and other Israeli officials committed war crimes against the Palestinian people, including “starvation as a method of warfare, and … murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts”.
Netanyahu has brushed aside Mamdani’s threats, and has in turn accused him of being anti-semitic and in league with the Hamas militant organization. He told WABC in an interview that “I think the problem is that he doesn’t recognize and he doesn’t care that those who hate the Jews and Israel ultimately hate America.”
The U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Waltz, called Mamdani’s words “political theater”, listing reasons why arresting Netanyahu would be highly difficult.
