New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani discussed the legal possibility of arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the United Nations General Assembly in September, a possibility that drew a strong reaction from the Israeli ambassador to the UN.
«I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s place is in The Hague. He is a war criminal wanted on an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court,» Mamdani said in an interview with The New York Times published today. He added, however, that he does not know whether he has the authority to arrest a foreign leader, such as Benjamin Netanyahu, but is discussing the matter with New York authorities.
«We'll do what the law allows me to do in New York,» he added.
The UN General Assembly, the major annual gathering of leaders from around the world, is held every September at the Organization’s headquarters in New York.
The mayor had promised in the past that he would send the city police to execute arrest warrants against wanted leaders, against whom warrants have been issued by the ICC, such as Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, immediately responded to the mayor of New York, arguing that Mamdani chooses to «fuel hostility and chase headlines by attacking the State of Israel.».
«This won't change anything. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to New York, speak proudly before the United Nations General Assembly, and proclaim to the whole world Israel’s truth as well as its non-negotiable right todefend its citizens,» he added in a post on the X platform.
Speaking on a New York radio station, Netanyahu accused Zohran Mamdani of supporting Hamas, stating: «I believe that deep down, he hates the United States.».
Mamtani, who comes from the left wing of the Democratic Party, had previously described Israel as an «apartheid regime,» denouncing the attack on the Gaza Strip as «genocide.» He has also repeatedly spoken out against anti-Semitism.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, has issued arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, as part of the Israeli offensive carried out in retaliation for the Hamas attack on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023.
