Mamdani, if Elected Mayor, Pledges to Order N.Y.P.D. to Arrest Netanyahu

[Polybius]

Source: NY Times

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, said that if elected, he would order the New York Police Department to arrest the prime minister of Israel if he sets foot in the city, offering new details on how he plans to carry out a campaign pledge.

Mr. Mamdani said in an interview with The New York Times on Thursday that the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was a war criminal who was committing genocide in Gaza. If the Israeli leader were to come to New York, Mr. Mamdani said, he would honor a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for Mr. Netanyahu’s arrest by having him apprehended at the airport.

Legal experts suggested that having Mr. Netanyahu arrested would be a practical impossibility, and some said it could violate federal law. Even so, Mr. Mamdani’s pledge will likely provoke strong reactions in New York, the second-largest home to Jews in the world.

Although New Yorkers now generally express support for Palestinians over Israel in its war with Hamas, Mr. Mamdani’s vow could still complicate his attempt to reassure a segment of Jewish leaders who had expressed concern about some of his stances, including his refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada.” He has since said he would discourage the use of the phrase, even as he holds to his position that Israel’s leader is a war criminal.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/nyregion/mamdani-arrest-netanyahu-nyc-mayor.html