Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, declared again that if elected, he would order the New York Police Department to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he enter the city.
“This is something that I intend to fulfill,” Mamdani told The New York Times, vowing to enforce an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) accusing Netanyahu of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
The United States does not recognize the authority of the ICC, and legal experts said Mamdani’s threat is likely unenforceable. “Such an arrest has never been made on American soil,” Matthew C. Waxman, a professor at Columbia Law School, told The Times, calling Mamdani’s pledge “more a political stunt than a serious law enforcement policy.” Federal law grants immunity to foreign heads of state, and absent violations of state or city statutes, New York officials would have no authority to act.
Still, Mamdani insisted that cities and states must act where Washington will not. “This is a moment where we cannot look to the federal government for leadership,” he said. “This is a moment when cities and states will have to demonstrate what it actually looks like to stand up for our own values, our own people.”
Mamdani has already drawn criticism for refusing to condemn the chant “globalize the intifada,” an antisemitic slogan he said he discourages but will not denounce. With New York home to the world’s second-largest Jewish population, his comments could spark sharp backlash ahead of the November election, where he currently leads in the polls by a wide margin.
Netanyahu brushed off Mamdani’s threats in July during remarks at the White House, calling them “silly” and “not serious.” He added, “I’m going to come there with President Trump and we’ll see.” Trump, standing beside him, warned Mamdani to “behave” or face “big problems.”
Mamdani also said he would seek to detain Russian President Vladimir Putin, who faces an ICC arrest warrant issued in 2023.
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One Response
Omg. Insane. Hamasss is starving them and where’s this
selective outrage what about the real starvation in
Afghanistan Yemen, and the Sudan this is a typical Hamasss
terrorist
who will ruin New York City and I hope all the Jews move out.ASAP and before that. He gets cancer. Today