US Congressman Ro Khanna joins Mamdani’s call to arrest Netanyahu

US Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Friday joined New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in calling for the arrest of ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under an International Criminal Court warrant if the ‘Israeli’ leader enters the United States.

Khanna’s remarks came as Netanyahu prepared for a visit to Washington next week to meet President Donald Trump and attend the funeral of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Mamdani, who had previously pledged during his campaign to order Netanyahu’s arrest, acknowledged earlier this week that New York City lacks the independent legal authority to enforce the ICC warrant.

In a video statement, Mamdani said: “My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here. It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does – and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.”

He described Netanyahu as “a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.”

Khanna, speaking in a Capitol Hill interview, backed the mayor’s broader demand.

“He doesn’t have the authority, but let me be clear,” Khanna said.

“The American president should arrest Netanyahu or Putin in accordance with international law. Full stop. America needs to cooperate with the International Criminal Court… It’s a matter of human rights, and it’s a matter of a rules-based international order.”

He added that the president “should order the marshals to arrest someone if they come to our jurisdiction.”

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 over war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to ‘Israel’s’ assault on Gaza.

The court has also sought the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The United States is not a party to the ICC and does not recognize its authority.

Khanna further argued: “You can’t just kill women and children, have an ICC arrest warrant, and then walk into the United States of America and think nothing is gonna happen to you. If you come to our jurisdiction, America is a country that’s gonna enforce international law.”

He acknowledged the political unlikelihood of action under Trump, stating the president “is not a law-and-order president, and he doesn’t really care about human rights or international law,” but called the failure to act “embarrassing to the United States and to the world community.”

Trump has already rejected any such move.

In a Truth Social post, he declared: “Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America.”