SerpApi.Org
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani caused a stir in the last few days after threatening to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes.
Mamdani had a timeframe in place too – he said he planned to do it when Netanyahu came to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly meeting in September.
“(Netanyahu’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 past many years,” he told the New York Times′ The Interview podcast on the weekend.
‘Whatever the law allows me to do’
Mamdani said on the podcast he was in “active discussion” with New York’s law enforcement about the issue.
“Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that’s what we will do,” he said.
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, a move denounced by both US President Donald Trump and his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Mamdani backs down
The US is not a signatory to the ICC and it’s unclear what criminal offences Netanyahu could be charged with under the law in New York City.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said on social media on Saturday that Netanyahu “will come to New York, address the United Nations General Assembly with pride, and stand before the world to state Israel’s truth and its unwavering right to defend its citizens.”
In his own post on X, Mamdani said he investigated ways to have the Israeli prime minister – who soon will face elections in his country – arrested in New York.
“Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people,” Mamdani says in the video.
“There is a reason the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest … anyone with their eyes, with their heart, with their conscience, should recognise the devastation that he has wrought and understand that he belongs before a court of law.
“My administration has reviewed every avenue possible under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here.
“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant.
“(But) I want to be equally clear: Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large.”
On Monday, Trump had insisted that Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form” while in the US.
