Mamdani threatens to arrest Israeli prime minister during UN visit

By Chris Wade
The Center Square

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is threatening to have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested when he visits the city for the U.N.'s next General Assembly meeting, drawing a sharp rebuke from the Trump administration.

Mamdani, who has described the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza as a "genocide," said in a recent interview that his administration is still looking in to the legality behind his campaign pledge to arrest the Israeli leader when he visits New York in September for the General Assembly meeting.

“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mamdani told the New York Times on Saturday. "He’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.”

Netanyahu and other world leaders will travel to New York City in two months for the General Assembly meeting, and the Israeli leader is expected to address the annual gathering.

The International Criminal Court, a permanent international tribunal based in The Hague, Netherlands, issued a warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest in 2024 for alleged war crimes against humanity over his government's military actions in the Gaza Strip and other Palestinian territories in response to the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack that killed more than 1,200 Israelis. 

The court has accused the Israeli leader of using starvation "as a method of warfare” and other "inhumane acts." Netanyahu has rejected the allegations and refused to turn himself into the court.

Mamdani said during his mayoral campaign last year that if elected he would order the New York City Police Department to arrest Netanyahu if he visits the city. 

"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 in last week's interview.

But U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz pointed out in a social media post that the U.S. hasn't signed the Rome Statute, which obliges countries to arrest people who have ICC warrants. 

"This is pure political theater," Waltz posted on X. "The U.N. Headquarters Agreement grants diplomatic protections to visiting heads of government, and head-of-state immunity applies, federal authority trumps any local mayor’s wishes." 

Netanyahu has accused Mamdani of siding with Hamas and other terrorist organizations.

“He’s with the terror actors," the Israeli leader said in a recent interview. "And I think the problem is that he doesn’t recognize and he doesn’t care that those who hate the Jews and Israel ultimately hate America."