NYC Mayor Mamdani Says City Exploring Legal Options To Arrest Netanyahu If He Attends UNGA

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said his administration is examining whether it has the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September.

In an interview with The New York Times published on Saturday, Mamdani reaffirmed his view that Netanyahu should face justice over Israel's military campaign in Gaza. The Israeli leader is the subject of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant over alleged crimes against humanity, allegations Israel rejects.

"I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague," Mamdani said.

"He's a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court," he added. "And what you will find is that is an opinion that is held by many, purely because of what his actions have wrought over these last many years."

Mamdani, who campaigned on a pledge to arrest Netanyahu if he visited New York, said his administration was now consulting the city's Law Department to determine what powers, if any, the mayor's office has in such a situation.

"We're in an active conversation," Mamdani said, adding, "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."

Netanyahu is expected to travel to New York in September to address the annual UN General Assembly.

Responding to Mamdani's remarks earlier this week, Netanyahu dismissed the threat and accused the mayor of siding with Hamas.

"I think he should look at who he's condemning, who he's praising," Netanyahu said in an interview with radio host Sid Rosenberg.

"He's condemning Israel, the one democracy that stands shoulder to shoulder with American values."

The Israeli prime minister went on to say: "Who does he champion? Hamas, that calls openly to massacre every Jew on earth, that conducted that horrible massacre, the worst massacre on Jews since the Holocaust."

Netanyahu also claimed Mamdani "does not care" that "those who hate the Jews and Israel ultimately hate America", adding, "And in fact I think, secretly, he hates America."

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said Netanyahu would attend the UN General Assembly as planned despite the calls for his arrest.

"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," Danon said.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist and outspoken supporter of Palestinian rights, has repeatedly called for accountability over Israel's actions in Gaza. During his mayoral campaign, he faced accusations of antisemitism and Islamophobic attacks, which he rejected, while also condemning Hamas's October 7 attack and pledging increased funding for programmes combating hate crimes.

His comments come amid shifting attitudes within the Democratic Party over U.S. support for Israel. Recent polls indicate growing opposition among Democratic voters to continued military aid to Israel, while an increasing number of Democratic lawmakers have backed measures aimed at restricting such assistance.

(inputs from The Indian Express and Al Jazeera)