New York Mayor-Elect Vows to Arrest Netanyahu if He Attends UN Assembly
Zahran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City, has warned that he will move to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if Netanyahu attends next year’s United Nations General Assembly in New York.
In an interview with ABC News, Mamdani pledged to pursue all available legal avenues to enforce warrants issued by international bodies, particularly the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, which has previously issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
He stressed that New York City is committed to upholding international law, including the enforcement of international arrest warrants, regardless of whether the subject is Netanyahu or Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mamdani criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to the law, saying, “Unlike Trump, who redefines laws based on his personal preferences, I operate within the legal framework.” He added that failing to take action against Netanyahu’s potential visit and arrest would make him unworthy of holding the mayoral office.
This is not the first time Mamdani has raised the issue of arresting Netanyahu upon a visit to New York. His comments have received widespread media coverage in both U.S. and international outlets, sparking a serious debate about the role of local governments in enforcing international judicial decisions.
However, it remains unclear whether local administrations in the United States possess the legal authority to implement such international warrants. Nonetheless, the mayor-elect’s strong stance has raised new questions about U.S.-Israel relations and the place of international law in the country’s domestic decision-making.
