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

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Tuesday his office does not have the authority to carry out the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1874034">arrest warrant</a> for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and called on US federal officials to step in.</p> <p>“Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people,” Mamdani said in a brief video message posted to social media.</p> <p>“My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the ICC’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here,” he said.</p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven media--tweet' data-original-src='https://x.com/NYCMayor/status/2079718073058091261'> <div class='media__item media__item--twitter '><span> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/2079718073058091261"></a> </blockquote> </span></div> </figure> <p>“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.”</p> <p>The Hague-based International Criminal Court said in 2024 that it had reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israel’s offensive in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.</p> <figure class='media w-full sm:w-1/2 media--right media--embed media--uneven' data-original-src='https://www.dawn.com/news/1946555'> <div class='media__item media__item--newskitlink '> <iframe class="nk-iframe" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:250px;position:relative" src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1946555" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div> </figure> <p>US President Donald Trump on Monday <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2017066">vowed </a>the Israeli Prime Minister would not face arrest if he attended September’s United Nations General Assembly summit in New York.</p> <p>In the video, Mamdani said “anyone — with their eyes, with their heart, with their conscience — should recognise the devastation he has wrought and understand that he belongs before a court of law.</p> <p>“As I’ve said, I agree with the ICC that Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes, as I do for anyone else charged by the ICC,” he added.</p> <p>Netanyahu’s office has dismissed Mamdani’s stance and said the ICC is a kangaroo court.</p> This development from dawn.com highlights ongoing changes in the sector.