New York Mayor considers arresting Netanyahu during UN assembly, calling him a 'war criminal'

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is exploring the possibility of ordering the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the upcoming UN General Assembly. Adams expressed his view that Netanyahu belongs in The Hague, labeling him a "war criminal" who has been accused by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“

I think Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. He is a war criminal who has been accused by the International Criminal Court.

Adams, who has previously described Israel as an "apartheid regime," acknowledged uncertainty about his authority to direct the NYPD to detain a foreign leader. However, he stated that the city's legal team is reviewing the matter. "Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that's what we will do," Adams declared.

The UN General Assembly, a significant gathering of world leaders, is scheduled to convene in September at the UN headquarters in New York. This is not the first time Adams has considered such action; he previously pledged to deploy NYPD officers to enforce arrest warrants against leaders sought by the ICC, including Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“

Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that's what we will do.

In response, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, criticized Adams' stance. Danon wrote on X that Adams should focus on his mayoral responsibilities and combatting the rise of antisemitism in his city, rather than inciting hostility and generating headlines by attacking Israel.

“

Instead of focusing on his responsibilities as mayor and confronting the growing wave of antisemitism in his city, he has chosen to incite hostility and generate headlines by attacking the State of Israel.