Zohran Mamdani vows to have NYPD arrest Israeli PM Netanyahu if elected mayor

Zohran Mamdani, the socialist nominee for New York City mayor, said Thursday that if elected he would order the New York Police Department to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should Netanyahu travel to the city.

In an interview with the New York Times, Mamdani accused Netanyahu of being a war criminal and committing genocide in Gaza. He cited the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu and said he would enforce it by having the Israeli leader arrested at the airport.

“This is something that I intend to fulfill,” Mamdani said.

The United States is not a party to the International Criminal Court and does not recognize its authority. In February, President Donald Trump moved to punish the court for issuing warrants against Netanyahu and said it had “no jurisdiction over the United States or Israel.”

Mamdani also said he would arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also has an ICC arrest warrant. “It is my desire to ensure that this be a city that stands up for international law,” he said.

Legal experts noted Mamdani likely would not have the authority to order such arrests, and his pledges are political symbolism rather than reality. Columbia Law School professor Matthew Waxman told the Times, “In my mind, this statement is more a political stunt than a serious law-enforcement policy.”

Following Mamdani’s comments, Representative Elise Stefanik of New York condemned his remarks and urged Governor Kathy Hochul to publicly reject them.

“This is dangerous and absolutely outrageous from this Antisemite Communist who is on pace to destroy NYC,” Stefanik said. “I am calling on Kathy Hochul to immediately condemn this and publicly commit to overriding Mamdani’s pledge to arrest Netanyahu."