Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel se premier. (Photo: Ronen Zvulun/ AFP)
Zohran Mamdani, New York’s mayor, is discussing the possibility of arresting the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, during an upcoming UN summit.
“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mamdani continued The New York Times said. “He is a war criminal who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court.”
The leftist Mamdani, who has described Israel as an “apartheid regime”, added: “This is an opinion held by many people, simply because of the consequences that his actions have had over the past years.”
Mamdani admitted that he is not sure if he has the power to instruct the New York Police Department (NYPD) to detain a foreign leader, but he is discussing the issue with the city’s legal team.
“Whatever the law allows me to do in New York is what we will do,” he said.
The UN General Assembly, an important gathering of world leaders, takes place in September at the UN headquarters in New York.
Mamdani has in the past pledged to use the NYPD to enforce warrants against leaders wanted by the International Criminal Court, including Netanyahu or Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ISH) said in 2024 that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israel’s offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ unprecedented attack on October 7, 2023.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, sharply criticized Mamdani soon after.
Mamdani. (Photo: AFP)
“Instead of focusing on his responsibilities as mayor and confronting the rising tide of anti-Semitism in his city, he chose to incite hostility and make headlines by attacking the state of Israel,” Danon wrote on X.
“It will change nothing. Israel’s prime minister, @netanyahu, will come to New York, proudly address the United Nations General Assembly and stand before the world to state Israel’s truth and its inalienable right to defend its citizens,” he said.
“And if anyone should be arrested, it’s @NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani.”
Netanyahu accused Mamdani of supporting Hamas and recently said during a New York radio show: “I think he secretly hates America.”