New York Mayor Considers Arresting Netanyahu

New York. New York City Mayor Johran Mamdani has said his administration is studying the possibility of arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he comes to New York in September to attend the UN General Assembly.

Speaking on The New York Times' 'The Interview' podcast, Mamdani informed that his legal department is actively discussing this matter. During his election campaign for the mayoral post, he had pledged to initiate the arrest of Netanyahu based on the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Mamdani said, 'In my opinion, Prime Minister Netanyahu should be in The Hague. He is a person accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court. Many people hold this view due to his actions in recent years,' . When asked if American law permits such an action, Mamdani stated that the matter is still under legal study. He said, 'Our legal department is actively discussing this. However, we have sometimes seen attempts at the national level to go beyond the limits of the law and create our own rules. Our administration does not want to walk that path,' .

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in 2024 against Netanyahu and some other Israeli leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Gaza war. These charges are related to the war that began after Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Netanyahu has denied all charges, while the Israeli government has also denied allegations of genocide in Gaza. The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute that established the ICC. Therefore, the US has no legal obligation to enforce ICC arrest warrants.

Both US President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden have criticized the ICC's arrest warrant issued against Netanyahu. The Trump administration has now intensified its campaign against the ICC. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently described the ICC as an 'institution that wages war against America and its allies using the so-called international law' and pledged to weaken the court. Mamdani is considered a strong critic of the Israeli government. He has repeatedly called Israel's military operation in Gaza 'genocide'. Israel, however, maintains that such allegations are baseless.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz has called Mamdani's statement 'pure political drama'. He argued that such an arrest would not be possible as the US is not a member state of the ICC. In the meantime, Prime Minister Netanyahu has also indicated that he does not give importance to the demand for his arrest. Speaking to an American radio program, he had said he had no concerns about this. Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon has clarified through social media that Prime Minister Netanyahu will come to New York as scheduled. According to him, Netanyahu will address the UN General Assembly and present 'Israel's truth and the unwavering right to defend its citizens' to the world.