New York mayor considers arresting Netanyahu at UN summit

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is contemplating an attempt to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the upcoming United Nations summit. Mamdani's statement, made in an interview published Saturday, drew a sharp response from Netanyahu's camp.

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I think Prime Minister Netanyahu should be in The Hague. He is a war criminal, the International Criminal Court has issued charges against him.

"I think Prime Minister Netanyahu should be in The Hague," Mamdani told The New York Times. "He is a war criminal, the International Criminal Court has issued charges against him," the New York mayor stated. Mamdani, a leftist who calls Israel an "apartheid regime," added, "Many hold that opinion simply because of what his actions have led to over many years."

Mamdani acknowledged he is unsure if he has the authority to order the New York Police Department to arrest a foreign leader but is discussing it with the city's legal team. "We will do everything the law allows me to do in New York," he said. The UN General Assembly, a major gathering of world leaders, is scheduled for September at UN headquarters in New York.

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Many hold that opinion simply because of what his actions have led to over many years.

Mamdani has vowed to deploy the NYPD to execute arrest warrants for leaders sought by the ICC, including Netanyahu or Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Hague-based ICC stated 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 Hamas attack.

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We will do everything the law allows me to do in New York.

Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, condemned Mamdani's remarks. "Instead of focusing on his duties as mayor and fighting the rising tide of antisemitism in his city, he has chosen to incite hostility and seek media attention by attacking the State of Israel," Danon wrote on social media platform X. "This will not change anything. The Prime Minister of Israel will come to New York, proudly address the United Nations General Assembly, and stand before the world to state Israel's truth and its firm right to defend its citizens," the ambassador said, adding that if anyone needs to be arrested, it should be New York Mayor Z. Mamdani. On a recent New York radio show, Netanyahu accused Mamdani of supporting Hamas. "I think he secretly hates America," Netanyahu said.

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Instead of focusing on his duties as mayor and fighting the rising tide of antisemitism in his city, he has chosen to incite hostility and seek media attention by attacking the State of Israel.