New York Mayor Calls Netanyahu 'Architect of Genocide'

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has again sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with the American podcast "This Past Weekend." Mamdani referred to Netanyahu as the "architect of genocide" and stated that if it were up to him, the U.S. government would join the International Criminal Court in The Hague and enforce the arrest warrant against the prime minister. Mamdani was asked during the interview about the possibility of Netanyahu's arrest during a visit to the city, explaining that the authority for such action lies with the federal government. However, the mayor emphasized that the U.S. should enforce these warrants due to suspicions of crimes against humanity, arguing that the non-enforcement of international law undermines the rule of law and public trust. Responding directly to remarks Netanyahu made about him at the UN, Mamdani called the personal attack "strange" and suggested it was an attempt to divert attention from responsibility. "This has nothing to do with me and him," the mayor clarified, adding sarcastically, "If I were the architect of genocide, I would probably talk about everything else but that."

Alongside his criticism, Mamdani sought to distinguish between the government's policies and American Jews, clarifying that criticism of Israel is not antisemitism. As the head of the city with the largest Jewish population in the U.S., he stressed that no Jewish person in New York is responsible for Israel's actions and pointed the finger at the Israeli government and those funding arms shipments.