In an interview with The New York Times, published Saturday, Mamdani said, "I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court."
Mamdani also said that he is in "active conversation" with NYC's legal officials on whether he may arrest a foreign leader, 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."
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said: "Mamdani is failing to govern New York. 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.
"And if anyone should be arrested, it is NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani."
Israeli Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis responded to Mamdani's statements, saying, "The mayor of New York City has no authority to order the arrest of the Prime Minister of Israel. Instead of dealing with matters over which he has no authority, he should start running New York City and only New York City."
This is not the first time Mamdani has made such a statement: In October 2025, before Mamdani was elected, he promised to "exhaust every legal option" to ensure Netanyahu is arrested.
Mamdani has been vehemently anti-Israel for many years. He criticized Israel immediately after the October 7 massacre committed by the Hamas terrorist organization and has claimed that Israel's retaliation against Hamas was "genocide." He has also refused to call for the disarmament of Hamas and to denounce the phrase "globalize the Intifada," a call for violence and murder against civilians, particularly Jews.
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