Mamdani’s Views on ICC and Netanyahu’s Arrest Warrant
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani expressed a desire for the US to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) and enforce an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a podcast interview released on Thursday.
Mamdani, known for his anti-Israel stance, admitted over the summer that he couldn’t enforce a 2024 ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu regarding alleged war crimes in Gaza. He reiterated his position while speaking with podcaster Theo Von.
“I think the US government should definitely join the ICC. It ought to act on every warrant issued,” Mamdani stated during the interview.
He went further to describe Netanyahu as “the architect of a horrific genocide.” This was part of his larger critique of the Israeli Prime Minister.
The ICC comprises 124 member states, yet both Israel and the US do not recognize its authority or jurisdiction.
Officials from the Biden administration and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) have previously criticized the ICC’s warrant against Netanyahu as “shameful,” “unserious,” and “troubling.”
Despite his earlier promises to arrest Netanyahu if he visited New York, Mamdani backed down in July. He found no legal paths to pursue such an action against the Israeli leader.
“If it were up to me, I’d want the US to join the ICC and support every warrant issued,” Mamdani remarked in his chat with Von.
Von responded with a resounding, “Absolutely!”
When Netanyahu recently attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York, he criticized Mamdani, claiming that “Jews no longer feel safe” in the city under the current mayor’s leadership.
Netanyahu also condemned Mamdani for labeling Israeli actions in Gaza as genocide and took aim at Mamdani’s wife, who had shown support for anti-Israel posts on social media.
Mamdani reflected on the experience, noting, “It was odd to hear those attacks while I was at a meeting with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands in a downtown LGBTQ center. I returned to see what was being said about me at the UN.”
He argued that such criticisms are attempts to sidestep accountability. “If I were responsible for a genocide, I’d probably want to redirect the conversation too,” he added.
