New York Mayor Says Netanyahu Could Be Arrested If He Visits the City

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said that the city's legal department is looking into the possibility of arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he set foot in New York. Mamdani made the remarks on the New York Times podcast The Interview, CNN reports.

Mamdani had already promised voters he would pursue Netanyahu's arrest during his campaign for mayor. "I believe Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague," Mamdani said. "He is a war criminal, indicted by the International Criminal Court. I'm sure many people share that view given what his actions have led to in recent years."

Asked exactly what the law would allow when it comes to a potential arrest of Netanyahu, the mayor was evasive: "We're actually discussing that with our legal team right now. At the national level, we're seeing some people try to invent their own laws and step outside the bounds of the legal system. That's the last thing we're interested in."

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant back in November 2024, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. According to the prosecution, the charges involve killings, deliberate attacks on civilians and the use of starvation as a method of warfare. Both sitting US President Donald Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden condemned the issuance of the warrant.

The Trump administration has recently escalated its conflict with the international tribunal: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed to "dismantle" the court, accusing it of "waging war against our country — not with bullets and missiles, but through the force of so-called international law."

Mamdani has remained a fierce critic of the Israeli government and has repeatedly described Israel's war in Gaza as genocide — a conclusion also reached by a UN investigative commission. Israel denies the accusations.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz on Saturday dismissed Mamdani's comments as "pure political theater," pointing out that the United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz