Jeffries Responds to Mamdani’s Call for Arrest of Netanyahu

During a segment on CNN’s “OutFront” on Friday, House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) addressed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s request for the U.S. to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and involve the International Criminal Court (ICC). Jeffries emphasized, “we can never allow another October 7 to happen, and we can never let the level of death, devastation, and destruction that has taken place in Gaza over the previous three years occur again.”

Host Erin Burnett introduced the topic by mentioning that Mayor Mamdani is reinforcing his demand for Netanyahu’s arrest in light of the Gaza conflict, advocating for U.S. participation in the ICC to facilitate this process.

Burnett then played a clip in which Mamdani stated, “I believe that the U.S. government should join the ICC and enforce its warrants. Regarding the Prime Minister, there are warrants for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes… To me, he represents the architect of a horrific genocide. If it were up to me, the U.S. would have joined the ICC and respected every warrant they’ve issued.”

Following this, Burnett asked Jeffries if he agrees with Mamdani’s position.

Jeffries replied, “I haven’t discussed this specific foreign policy topic with him, or really any foreign policy issue for that matter. However, I think he’s been doing a commendable job so far as the Mayor of New York City, focusing on public safety and pushing for a more affordable city. With respect to the Middle East situation, it’s clear that we cannot allow another tragedy like October 7. We must avoid the levels of suffering that have occurred in Gaza over the last few years. What we need is to seek a path toward establishing lasting peace — one that ensures a secure Israel, a Jewish democratic state, coexisting with a Palestinian state that provides dignity and self-determination for the Palestinian people.”