'He is a war criminal': Mamdani says NY cannot arrest Netanyahu on ICC warrant, urges US federal officials to step in

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Tuesday that his administration does not have the legal power to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the basis of an International Criminal Court warrant, and urged US federal authorities to take action instead.

In a short video posted to social media, Mamdani described Netanyahu as “a war criminal” and accused him of being “the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.” He said his office had reviewed the legal options available to New York City and concluded that the city could not independently carry out the ICC warrant if Netanyahu were to visit.

“The federal government, however, does,” Mamdani said, calling on US officials to join the ICC and execute the warrant. He added that, in his view, Netanyahu should be arrested and tried “for his crimes,” saying he supported the ICC’s position in the case.

The ICC said in 2024 that it had reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.

The remarks came after US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Netanyahu would not be arrested if he attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September. Netanyahu’s office dismissed Mamdani’s comments and called the ICC a “kangaroo court.”

This report is based on a monitored public feed.

Source: Dawn Home - https://www.dawn.com/news/2017473/he-is-a-war-criminal-mamdani-says-ny-cannot-arrest-netanyahu-on-icc-warrant-urges-us-federal-officials-to-step-in