New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani Said Netanyahu Is A War Criminal And Called On The US To Arrest Him

New York City's mayor Zohran Mamdani said Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal and called on the US federal government to execute the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant and arrest him.

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war from at least Oct. 8, 2023, until at least May 20, 2024.

Once the ICC issues an arrest warrant, it relies on its member countries to make arrests, as it doesn’t have its own police force, according to Reuters.

The US is not a member of the ICC and does not recognize its authority, which is part of why the warrant has not led to Netanyahu's arrest anywhere so far.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist who ran a campaign focused largely on affordability and solving working-class issues, was elected as New York mayor in November 2025.

He made arresting Netanyahu part of his campaign and said that if elected, he would have the city comply with the ICC warrant if Netanyahu ever visited.

Netanyahu is expected to travel to New York in September for the UN General Assembly.

Earlier this month, Mamdani told the New York Times that Netanyahu "belongs in The Hague" and said his administration's legal department was reviewing whether the city could act on the warrant.

US president Donald Trump responded on social media, saying Netanyahu "will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States."

On Tuesday, July 21, Mamdani said his administration had reviewed every legal option and concluded New York City does not have the "independent authority" to execute the warrant on its own.

He called Netanyahu "a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide" and said he was calling on the federal government to join the ICC and carry out the arrest instead.

"I want to be equally clear: Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large," Mamdani said.

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