Mamdani Says He Wants To Arrest Netanyahu If He Comes To NY — ‘Actively’ Looking Into It
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) is in “active conversation” with law enforcement officials about whether he can legally arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In an interview with The New York Times’ Lulu Garcia-Navarro on The Interview, Mamdani argued Netanyahu belongs in prison for war crimes and floated the possibility of actually arresting the world leader if he lands in New York City for the United Nations’ General Assembly in September.
“He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court,” the mayor said. “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.”
Mamdani said he’s in “active conversation” about the matter with the New York City Law Department, but he remains unsure on whether he has the legal authority to actually arrest Netanyahu.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 for alleged war crimes over his country’s actions in Gaza. Mamdani talked about arresting Netanyahu during his mayoral campaign.
“Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that’s what we will do, but we won’t be writing our own laws to that end,” Mamdani said.
Netanyahu slammed Mamdani this week, arguing the Democratic Socialist “hates” America. He previously dismissed the arrest threat as “silly.”
“He’s condemning Israel, the one democracy that stands shoulder to shoulder with American values,” the prime minister told radio host Sid Rosenberg.
Netanyahu accused Mamdani of championing the terror group Hamas, which attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, kicking off the war in Gaza where tens of thousands have died.
“Who does he champion? Hamas, that calls openly to massacre every Jew on earth, that conducted that horrible massacre, the worst massacre on Jews since the Holocaust,” he said.
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