Mamdani’s comment on Israel PM Netanyahu’ s arrest sparked a counter attack from the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Israeli ambassador said, “Instead of focusing on his responsibilities as mayor and confronting the rising wave of antisemitism in his city, he has chosen to incite hostility and generate headlines by attacking the State of Israel.”
“It will not change a thing. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will come to New York, address the United Nations General Assembly with pride, and stand before the world to state Israel’s truth and its unwavering right to defend its citizens,” he added.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has attracted attention after he mentioned his administration was mulling over arresting Netanyahu during his upcoming visit for the UN summit.
“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” he said adding that Netanyahu is a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court.
The ICC, based in The Hague, said in 2024 that it had reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli PM Netanyahu was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israel’s offensive in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
Admitting that he is unsure if he has the authority to order the arrest, he made the statement during an interview by a media house. He went onto reveal that discussions were underway with the city’s Law Department.
Emphasising to work within legal bounds, he said, ” Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that’s what we will do, but we won’t be writing our own laws to that end.”
This is not the first time Mamdani spoke about Israel PM. He had earlier as per reports vowed to send the police to enforce arrest warrants against leaders wanted by the International Criminal Court.