New York Mayoral Candidate Mamdani: Netanyahu should be arrested if he visits New York

New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani said he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested if he comes to New York in September to attend the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. Mamdani announced that he is in active discussions with the city's legal department regarding the steps that could be taken in this regard.

Speaking to the US-based New York Times, Mamdani was asked about his campaign promise to arrest Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip.

In an interview published today, Mamdani said, "I believe Netanyahu should be tried in The Hague. Netanyahu is a war criminal accused by the International Criminal Court. There are many people who share this view because of the consequences of his actions in recent years."

Stating that he also promised to abide by the law during his election campaign, Mamdani expressed that he would work actively to ensure Netanyahu's arrest but could not go beyond the laws in effect in New York while doing so. "I will do whatever the law authorizes me to do in New York. We will not write our own laws to achieve this goal," Mamdani said.

When asked which steps the law allows, Mamdani replied that he is conducting "active discussions" with the city's legal department on this matter.

"The first step every presidential candidate must take is to acknowledge what our current policy leads to"

Arguing that US policy on Gaza and Palestine has failed, Mamdani was asked whether he would support former Vice President Kamala Harris if she were to run for president again; he replied that he would do so "if Harris changes her support regarding military aid to Israel."

Democrat Mamdani said, "The first step for anyone considering running is to be honest about what we see today and what needs to be done to change it."

Stating that one of the criteria he considers when supporting US Congressional candidates is their support for a legislative proposal called "Block the bombs," Mamdani said, "This proposal would have restricted the sale or transfer of certain weapons to Israel. This stance means refusing to continue to be complicit in a genocide."

Pointing out that the US provides billions of dollars in support to Israel, Mamdani said, "The first step that every presidential candidate who wants to earn the trust of the people in the country must take is to acknowledge what our current policy leads to and what a different policy would produce."

Mamdani, who is running to be New York's first Muslim mayor, had said during his election campaign that he would task the New York Police Department with enforcing arrest warrants for leaders sought by the ICC, including Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

US federal laws make local government cooperation with the ICC illegal

The International Criminal Court does not have jurisdiction in the US, and US federal laws make it illegal for local governments to cooperate with the court. Another federal law prohibits the imprisonment of foreign officials, including heads of state, and prevents them from performing their duties. Legal experts argue that Mamdani's threats to arrest Netanyahu have no legal basis.

Last year, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that the New York mayor does not have the authority to do so.

Netanyahu, who regularly comes to New York every year to attend UN General Assembly meetings, had said that Mamdani's threats would not deter him from attending the meetings.

The ICC's arrest warrant for Netanyahu

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court ruled that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu bears criminal responsibility for war crimes, such as the use of starvation as a weapon of war and intentional attacks against the civilian population, as well as crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts. In this context, the court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu.

Since that date, Netanyahu has only been able to make official visits to the US and Hungary, which was one of Israel's closest allies during the term of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

News Source: 12punto