Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for the Mayor of New York City, said that if he were elected, he would lead the New York Police Department to arrest the Prime Minister of Israel in case he arrives in the city, presenting new details of a campaign promise.
In an interview with The New York Times On Thursday, Mamdani described Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal responsible for the genocide in Gaza. He said that if Netanyahu visited New York, he would “honor” the order of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his arrest by ordering the police to stop him at the airport.
Legal experts have warned that such a measure would be practically impossible and could violate federal law. Even so, Mamdani doubled, saying that he would not retire from the promise. “This is something I intend to fulfill,” he said. “It is my desire to ensure that this is a city that defends international law.”
The United States is not part of the ICC and does not recognize its authority. President Donald Trump imposed measures against the court in February after issuing the order of the Netanyahu order, arguing that “he had no jurisdiction over the United States or Israel.”
Netanyahu, meanwhile, has dismissed threats. Speaking in July, he said he was not worried about Mamdani’s comments. At a White House meeting with Trump, he called the idea of a “silly arrest in many ways, and added:” I will come there with President Trump and we’ll see. ”
“It behaves better. Otherwise, you will have big problems,” Trump added, referring to Mamdani.
The Order of the ICC accuses Netanyahu of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, claiming that he and another senior Israeli official “intentionally already knew deprived the civilian population in Gaza of indispensable objects for their survival, including food, water and medicine.”
Mamdani has argued that Netanyahu even made military decisions while in New York that resulted in civil deaths in the Middle East.
A recent New York Times and the University of Siena found that New Yorkers supported Mamdani’s position on Israel and the war. Among the probable Jewish voters, Mamdani had a close advantage in approximately 30%, closely followed by current Mayor Eric Adams and former governor Andrew Cuomo.
Cuomo, Mamdani’s main rival, has positioned himself as a firm defender of Israel and last November he volunteered to join the Netanyahu legal defense team, shortly after the ICC issued its order.
Trump said Friday that the mayor of New York, Adams, continues his commitment to re -election decreases the possibility that someone defeats Democratic candidate Mamdani, but added that Adams is “free to do what he wants.”
“It seems to me that if he (Adams) stays, if you have more than one candidate running against him (Mamdani), he can’t win,” Trump told journalists in the oval office, shortly after Adams said he was not finishing his campaign for re -election.
“I would say that (Andrew) Cuomo could have the opportunity to win if one by one. If not one by one, it will be a difficult race,” Trump added.
