Mamdani Says He Is Reviewing Whether Netanyahu Could Be Arrested During UN Visit

According to Lianhe Zaobao, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he is working with the city government’s legal team to determine whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be arrested during Netanyahu’s visit to the United Nations General Assembly in September. Mamdani told The New York Times that Netanyahu should be tried in The Hague as an alleged war criminal indicted by the International Criminal Court, but he said he was not sure whether he had the authority to order the New York Police Department to detain a foreign leader. Mamdani said his office would do what New York law allows. He has previously said he would ask New York police to enforce arrest warrants if leaders wanted by the International Criminal Court, including Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin, visit New York. The court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza war, allegations Netanyahu denies. Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon later criticized Mamdani on X, saying Netanyahu would still travel to New York to state Israel’s position and defend the rights of its citizens.