New York Mayor Threatens to Arrest Israeli PM Netanyahu During UN Visit

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has publicly acknowledged exploring legal avenues to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his upcoming visit to New York in September for the United Nations General Assembly. In an interview with The New York Times, Mamdani described Netanyahu as a "war criminal" wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and stated he is in active discussions with the city's legal department to determine if he has the authority to order the New York Police Department to detain Netanyahu. Mamdani emphasized that he would only act within the scope of existing legal powers and not create new laws to facilitate such an arrest.

This is not the first time Mamdani has raised this possibility; during his mayoral campaign, he pledged to seek Netanyahu's arrest if he visited New York. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024, although the United States does not recognize the court's jurisdiction or enforce its rulings. Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, sharply criticized Mamdani, accusing him of neglecting his duties amid rising antisemitism in New York and using anti-Israel rhetoric for publicity. Danon affirmed that Netanyahu's visit and speech at the UN will proceed as planned and retorted that if anyone should be arrested, it is Mayor Mamdani himself.

Mamdani also addressed public criticism of his wife, Syrian-American artist Rama Douaji, who has been accused on social media of supporting Palestinian organizations and posting controversial content, including a claim that Hamas's October 7 attack was a "mass hoax." Mamdani defended her as an independent and exceptional artist, asserting that her public activities are unfairly scrutinized due to her marriage to him.