Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, has doubled down on his vow to order the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he sets foot in the city.Mamdani said he would instruct the police to enforce an International Criminal Court warrant.Speaking to The New York Times, Mamdani described Netanyahu as a war criminal responsible for genocide in Gaza. He said that if elected, he would have the New York police department apprehend the Israeli leader upon arrival. “This is something that I intend to fulfil,” Mamdani said.The United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court and does not recognise its jurisdiction. Mamdani’s remarks provoked sharp reactions in New York, home to the world’s second-largest Jewish population. Recent polls show many New Yorkers now support Palestinians in the Gaza conflict. However, Mamdani’s stance could still make it harder for him to win over Jewish leaders who are already worried about his past remarks.Andrew Cuomo, his main rival in the mayoral race, has voiced strong support for Israel and even volunteered to join Netanyahu’s legal defence team after the ICC issued its arrest warrant. The International Criminal Court has accused Netanyahu of war crimes and crimes against humanity, citing actions that deprived Gaza’s civilian population of food, water and medicine. The court issued its warrant in July, saying there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu knowingly targeted civilians.Mamdani said that his plan would extend to Russian President Vladimir Putin, also been wanted by the ICC since 2023. “It is my desire to ensure that this be a city that stands up for international law,” he said.Netanyahu has dismissed Mamdani’s threats as unserious. “I’m going to come there with President Trump, and we’ll see,” he said earlier in July. Trump added, “He better behave. Otherwise, he’s going to have big problems.”Gaza health ministry says over 60,000 Palestinians have died in the war with Israel. Netanyahu has said the fighting will continue until Hamas frees the hostages taken during the October 7 attack, which killed around 1,200 people.
