Mamdani backs off arresting 'war criminal' Netanyahu, urges Trump admin to arrest him instead
The New York mayor accused the Israeli prime minister of genocide and appealed to Washington to execute an international arrest warrant, one day after President Donald Trump guaranteed Netanyahu would not be arrested in the U.S.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal late July 21 and urged the Trump administration to arrest him, while conceding that city authorities lack the legal power to enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.
“Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people,” Mamdani declared in a video message that has since garnered 63.3 million views.
The ICC issued warrants for Netanyahu and then-Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024. The court said it found reasonable grounds to believe that the officials bore responsibility for using “starvation as a method of warfare” and for crimes against humanity, murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts during Israel’s campaign in Gaza.
The warrant is not a conviction, and the ICC has not charged Netanyahu with genocide. Mamdani’s genocide allegation goes beyond the specific offenses cited in the warrant.
In the video message, Mamdani blamed Netanyahu for the deaths of more than 73,000 people, the maiming of tens of thousands of children, attacks on hospitals and maternity centers, the obstruction of humanitarian aid, and the deaths of aid workers and journalists. He also criticized U.S. military support for Israel, arguing that Americans are paying for the weapons used in the violent campaign.
The mayor cited a United Nations inquiry released in June that accused Israeli forces of deliberately targeting Palestinian children. As Zeale News reported, the commission concluded that the alleged conduct amounted to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
Israel rejected that inquiry as a “libelous sham” and said its military works to minimize civilian casualties while fighting Hamas.
Mamdani said his administration had examined every legal avenue for enforcing the ICC warrant if Netanyahu visits New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September. City lawyers ultimately concluded that New York could not act independently.
The mayor claimed that federal authorities do have the necessary power and called on the U.S. government to join the ICC and execute its warrant. Neither the U.S. nor Israel is a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court, and the U.S. is therefore not obligated to carry out ICC warrants.
Mamdani added that Netanyahu is not welcome in the city and said New Yorkers must decide whether their silence will help perpetuate the suffering in Gaza.
Trump guarantees Netanyahu’s protection
Mamdani’s statement came one day after Trump categorically rejected the possibility that the Israeli leader would be detained on American soil.
“Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” Trump wrote July 20, as Zeale News reported.
Trump defended Netanyahu as an ally in the war against Iran and argued that Iranian leaders, rather than the Israeli prime minister, should face arrest.
The Trump administration has also taken a hostile approach toward the international court. Trump previously imposed sanctions on ICC officials over the court’s investigation of Israel, accusing the tribunal of claiming illegitimate authority over the U.S. and its allies.
Israel has denied committing war crimes, rejected the court’s jurisdiction, and argued that the ICC has ignored the circumstances surrounding Israel’s war against Hamas following the terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon accused Mamdani of repeating Hamas propaganda. “You were elected to serve New Yorkers, not Hamas’ propaganda. Do your job!” Danon wrote in response.
Trump’s pledge to protect Netanyahu comes despite a series of unusually public clashes between the two leaders and their governments.
As Zeale News previously reported, Trump repeatedly criticized Netanyahu in June for continuing military operations as U.S. officials pursued an agreement with Iran. “I call the shots,” Trump said at the time. “Bibi does not.”
Trump also objected to high numbers of civilian deaths resulting from strikes in Lebanon in a new offensive that Israeli officials have said is modeled on their Gaza operations.
In addition, Vice President JD Vance has accused Israel-linked political operatives of participating in a well-funded effort to derail U.S.-Iran negotiations. Vance qualified that he was not accusing the entire Israeli government but said he was certain some Israeli officials were attempting to prolong the fighting.
