Defying Trump, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Vows to Arrest Netanyahu

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has doubled down on his threat to order the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he attends the United Nations General Assembly in September, dismissing opposition from former US President Donald Trump. Mamdani stated that the International Criminal Court’s indictment must be taken seriously. ‘When someone is indicted with an International Criminal Court warrant, that is something that must be taken seriously,’ he said. The mayor indicated the city would seek to enforce the arrest warrant, which was issued nearly two years ago over the war in Gaza. He first made the threat during his mayoral campaign and repeated it in a weekend interview with The New York Times. ‘I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,’ Mamdani said. ‘He is a war criminal who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court.’ Mamdani described Israel’s assault on Gaza as an act of ‘genocide’ that has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians. He also condemned the Hamas attack on 7 October, which killed 1,200 Israelis and sparked the war. Netanyahu is expected to attend the General Assembly. ‘Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that is what we will do,’ Mamdani said.