Mamdani to Issue Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu in NY After Being Elected

Democrat nominee for mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani has said that if he is elected he would order for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be arrested by the New York Police Department if he enters the city.

"This is something that I intend to fulfill," Mamdani said, in an interview with The New York Times.

Although the US does not recognise the authority of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and does not recognise its authority, Mamdani explained that he would honour the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court and arrest him after apprehending him at the airport.

The arrest warrant accuses Netanyahu of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

"It is my desire to ensure that this be a city that stands up for international law," he said.

New York is the second-largest home to Jews and if he carries out his plan, he is bound to receive a huge backlash, especially after he refused to condemn the phrase "globalise the intifada", an anti-Zionist slogan that calls for international solidarity with Palestinian resistance. However, he did say that he would discourage the use of the phrase.

Moreover, Netanyahu's arrest could violate federal law and even be a practical impossibility. First, there needs to be a violation of city or state law for Netanyahu to be arrested; second, even if he was charged with a crime, he would be granted immunity for being the head of state.

Mamdani, who is leading the polls for the November election, said that the state and local Democrats need to take actions that the federal government will not.

"This is a moment where we cannot look to the federal government for leadership," he said. "This is a moment when cities and states will have to demonstrate what it actually looks like to stand up for our own values, our own people."

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California in 2004 as the mayor of San Francisco, had defied the federal law and issued marriage licenses for same-sex couples, Mamdani cited.

He also intends to do the same to Russian President Vladimir Putin against whom the ICC had issued an arrest warrant in 2023.

Matthew C. Waxman, a professor at Columbia Law School told The New York Times that Mamdani's desire is "more a political stunt than a serious law enforcement policy", and said that such an arrest has never been made on American soil.

In July, Netanyahu had said in the White House that he was not concerned about Mamdani's arrest threats. He added, "Look there's enough craziness in the world, but I guess it never ends." He proceeded to say, "It's silly in many ways because it's just not serious".

"I'm going to come there with President Trump and we'll see," Netanyahu said.

Trump added, referencing Mamdani, "He better behave. Otherwise, he's going to have big problems."

More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war with Israel, according to the health officials there. Netanyahu intends to continue the war until Hamas disarms and releases the hostages it took in its October 7 attack that saw 1,200 deaths.