'I'll Come to New York': Netanyahu Brushes Off Mamdani's Arrest Threat Over ICC Case". Ji

New York : NYC Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani has reiterated that he would direct the New York Police Department to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city, citing an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza. 

WHAT MAMDANI SAID:

In interviews with Fox News and The New York Times, Mamdani said New York "believes in international law" and that he intends to "honour" the ICC warrant issued against Netanyahu. "I can tell you that I’m going to exhaust every legal option in front of me, not to make new laws to do so," Mamdani said. He added that the pledge also applies to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also faces an ICC warrant. 

Mamdani, a democratic socialist set to become New York's first Muslim and first South Asian mayor, called Netanyahu a "war criminal" committing "genocide in Gaza". He said he would have Netanyahu "apprehended at the airport" if he arrives. 

NETANYAHU'S RESPONSE:

Netanyahu dismissed the threat, telling The New York Times' DealBook forum: "Yes, I'll come to New York". 

He said he would be open to meeting Mamdani "if he changes his mind and says that we have the right to exist". Netanyahu also called the arrest threat "silly" in an interview with the New York Post, with Donald Trump standing beside him joking, "I'll get him out"  .

LEGAL AND POLITICAL CONTEXT:

The ICC in 2024 said it had "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during Israel's Gaza offensive following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. 

However, the US, Israel, and Russia are not members of the ICC. Legal experts say an arrest by a NYC mayor would be a "practical impossibility" and could violate federal law. The Trump administration has also defended Israel and sanctioned ICC officials. 

Mamdani said cities and states must "demonstrate what it actually looks like to stand up for our own values" when the federal government does not. He cited Gavin Newsom's 2004 decision to issue same-sex marriage licenses in San Francisco despite federal law as a precedent. 

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