\u201cI believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. He\u2019s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court. And what you will find is that is an opinion that is held by many purely because of what his actions have wrought over these last many years,\u201d\u00a0 Mamdani said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve also said that I will follow the laws that we have here in New York City because I believe that there is an importance in following the law as a leader who presides over our city,\u201d he said, indicating that he would not seek to actively follow up on his threat.<\/p>\n
Pressed on his intentions, Mamdani said that \u201cwhatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that\u2019s what we will do, but we won\u2019t be writing our own laws to that end.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n Asked specifically what the laws allow, he sad there was \u201can active conversation with our legal department.\u201d<\/p>\n Mamdani had vowed to send the New York Police Department to enforce arrest warrants against leaders wanted by the International Criminal Court, including Netanyahu or Russian President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n \t Mamdani has in the past cited an International Criminal Court war crimes arrest warrant as grounds for arresting Netanyahu, but the court does not have jurisdiction in the US, and US federal law makes it illegal for local government to cooperate with the court. A separate federal law prohibits imprisonment and obstruction of foreign officials, including heads of state.<\/p>\n Also, last year, New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated that \u201cThe New York City mayor does not have the power to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Legal experts have also said Mamdani\u2019s threat to arrest Netanyahu is baseless.<\/a><\/p>\n The Hague-based ICC last said it had reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel\u2019s war against Hamas in Gaza following the unprecedented October 7, 2023, attack.<\/p>\n \t Israel vociferously denies the allegations and accusations of genocide in Gaza.<\/p>\n Since the indictments were filed, the International Criminal Court\u2019s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, has been suspended<\/a> following a probe into accusations of sexual harassment made against him.<\/p>\n New York is home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel, as well as the United Nations, where Netanyahu has regularly attended the annual General Assembly. Netanyahu has said he does not intend to be deterred from attending by Mamdani\u2019s threats.<\/p>\n In the wide-ranging interview, Mamdani was also asked about the centrality of his anti-Israel policies to his world view and his refusal to support pro-Israel candidates in the Democratic party.<\/p>\n \u201cI think what we have seen from New Yorkers, what we\u2019ve seen from Americans, when we talk about this hunger for a new kind of politics, it\u2019s a hunger to move beyond the bankruptcy that characterizes a lot of politics today. And it is hard to find a more bankrupt policy approach than what our country has done to Gaza and to Palestine and how it hasn\u2019t been specific to any one party,\u201d Mamdani said.<\/p>\n Asked if a politician\u2019s views on Gaza and a willingness to call it a genocide would be a litmus test for him, Mamdani replied: \u201cI think it\u2019s an important part. I wouldn\u2019t say that there\u2019s a specific litmus test as to creating a cookie cutter of a person that I would endorse in any one seat. What I would say is that you have to have a clear vision of being able to describe things as they are, and being able to fight for that which working people have been denied.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Asked if he would back former vice president Kamala Harris in another run for the presidency, Mamdani said he would only do so if she changed her support for military assistance to Israel.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that the first step for anyone looking to run is to be honest about what we see today and what it would take to change that. And when I say what it will take, one of the common features between all of the people that I endorsed for Congress was that each one of these candidates spoke about how they would sign on to the Block the Bombs legislation [which would restrict the sale or transfer of specific weapons to Israel]. It speaks about an unwillingness to continue to be complicit in a genocide,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd we\u2019re talking about billions of dollars in material support. So I think the first step for any presidential candidate looking to earn the trust of people across the country is a recognition of what our policy has wrought and what a different policy would deliver,\u201d Mamdani said.<\/p>\n However, Mamdani indicated that he would still accept pro-Israel Democrats in the party.<\/p>\n \u201cMy point is that the importance of a big tent; it\u2019s critical that we can work with those with whom we might not have agreement on every single issue. And you can even see in the administration that I\u2019ve put together, it\u2019s not an administration where at every job interview I ask someone, \u201cWhat are your thoughts about Israel and Palestine?,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City on September 26, 2025. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AFP__20250926__76WM9VE__v1__HighRes__UsUnDiplomacyUngaIsraelPalestinianConflictProte-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tA protestor holds a sign reading \u201cArrest Netahyahu\u201d as people take part in a march against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he addresses the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 26, 2025. (Photo by Kena Betancur \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26184512824004-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tNew York Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivers a speech to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States at City Hall on Friday, July 3, 2026 in New York. (Anna Connors\/The New York Times via AP, Pool)<\/p>\n
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