New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani once again called for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrest warrant, issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), to be honored, even as he acknowledged he lacks the authority to do so himself, in a CNN interview on Monday.
Mamdani told CNN that he believes Netanyahu to be “a war criminal and an architect of a horrific genocide of the Palestinian people.”
In July, Mamdani said he was investigating the possibility of arresting Netanyahu based on the ICC’s warrant, concluding after a few days that he could not legally do so, but still warning that Netanyahu was “not welcome” in New York City.
“I do believe that that is something that should be honored,” he told CNN, “because what we want to see, and we’ve been talking about this today, is a faith in our politics, a faith in accountability.”
He added, “If the International Criminal Court deems someone worthy of an arrest because of a violation of those laws, then who are we to say that anyone should be above that? And I think very clearly that everyone should be held accountable to it.”
Netanyahu to visit NYC for UN General Assembly
Netanyahu is expected to visit New York City on Thursday to address the United Nations General Assembly.
His visit was originally planned to stretch several days and include a visit to Texas and a meeting with US President Donald Trump. However, it has been shortened, with the current plan being to arrive in New York on Thursday morning, address the UNGA at 2 p.m., and return to Israel soon afterward.
Protests are expected during his visit, although Mamdani has said he has no plans to join them.
