“100% serious”: Mamdani doubles down on potential arrest of Netanyahu
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reaffirmed his commitment to exploring the arrest of ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city for the United Nations General Assembly in September, citing an International Criminal Court warrant.
In a video, Mamdani responded directly to questions about the issue: "Are you serious about arresting Netanyahu?" a reporter asked.
Mamdani replied, "100%. Yes."
Reporter: "Are you serious about arresting Netanyahu?"
— ThePatrioticBlonde™ (@ImBreckWorsham) July 21, 2026
Mamdani: "100%. Yes."
Reporter: "Trump said he won’t."
Mamdani: "He has a warrant for war crimes. Trump may protect him. I won't."pic.twitter.com/KhkjAr2F9p
When informed that President Donald Trump said he won’t allow it, Mamdani stated, "He has a warrant for war crimes. Trump may protect him. I won't."
Mamdani, a democratic socialist and longtime supporter of the Palestinian cause, has described Netanyahu as "a war criminal" and "the architect of the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza."
“When it comes to Benjamin Netanyahu, we're speaking about someone who's the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. And he's the subject of this arrest warrant for alleged crimes against humanity, for war crimes, and he's the architect of the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza as Israel's Prime Minister. These are not facts of my personal assessment; they are facts of public record,” Mamdani said.
“And I believe that when someone is charged with an International Criminal Court warrant, it's something that should be taken seriously, whether it's Benjamin Netanyahu, or it's Vladimir Putin, or whomever else,” he added.
“...if someone is charged with a warrant by the International Criminal Court for these kinds of crimes, that's something I believe that should be honored, and I've also said that we will follow our local laws.
Mamdani previously pledged during his mayoral campaign to honor the ICC warrant and is now in "an active conversation" with the city’s law department about whether he can direct the NYPD to detain the ‘Israeli’ leader, according to recent remarks to The New York Times.
Trump has pushed back firmly, declaring that Netanyahu "will not face arrest in the US" and that such decisions rest with federal authority, not local officials.
Legal experts and US officials have called the plan highly unlikely due to diplomatic immunity, the UN Headquarters Agreement granting protections to visiting heads of government, and federal supremacy over local law enforcement.
