New York City Mayor Mamdani says he still eyes arrest of Netanyahu during September visit

UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jul, 2026) Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim Mayor of New York City, has said that his administration is reviewing whether it has the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he called a "war criminal", if he visits the city for the UN General Assembly in September.

Speaking to The New York Times published on Saturday, Mamdani was asked about his campaign pledge to arrest Netanyahu, who has been accused of crimes against humanity by the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) for Israel’s war against Palestinians in Gaza.

“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court. And what you will find is that is an opinion that is held by many purely because of what his actions have wrought over these last many years,” Mamdani was quoted as saying.

“I’ve also said that I will follow the laws that we have here in New York City because I believe that there is an importance in following the law as a leader who presides over our city,” he said.

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Pressed on his intentions, Mamdani said that “whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that’s what we will do, but we won’t be writing our own laws to that end.”

The mayor had earlier vowed to send the New York Police Department to enforce arrest warrants against leaders wanted by the International Criminal Court, including Netanyahu or Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mamdani has repeatedly condemned Israel's military campaign in Gaza while also denouncing Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

In the interview, Mamdani also criticized US policy toward Gaza, saying it is "hard to find a more bankrupt policy approach than what our country has done to Gaza and to Palestine."

He also expressed support for the possibility of Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a leftist, running for president in 2028, defended New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch's leadership, criticized President Donald Trump's immigration policies while backing cooperation on serious criminal cases, and said affordability remains the defining challenge facing New Yorkers.