On July 19, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on social media, slamming New York City Mayor Mamdani for his remarks about “arresting Netanyahu,” and also blasting the International Criminal Court as a “kangaroo court” — a court that rushes through cases without caring about justice.
The statement said Mamdani should focus on fixing “the damage his policies have done to New York.”
Netanyahu’s office further claimed that Mamdani’s move was an attempt to divert public attention from “his foolish actions” by attacking “the Jewish state and its leader, the only democracy in the Middle East.”
Mamdani and Netanyahu in a file photo
In 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, accusing him of “crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least October 8, 2023, to at least May 20, 2024.”
Even during his campaign for mayor of New York, Mamdani had threatened that if Netanyahu visited New York, he would push for his arrest.
Last July, Netanyahu visited the U.S. When asked about the matter, then-President Trump responded that he would “save” Netanyahu.
On July 18, Mamdani reiterated that he was consulting with city government departments about whether New York has the authority to arrest Netanyahu if he travels to New York in September for the United Nations General Assembly.
“I believe Netanyahu should be sent to The Hague to stand trial. He’s a war criminal indicted by the International Criminal Court,” Mamdani said, while acknowledging he wasn’t sure if he has the power to direct the NYPD to detain a foreign leader, so he’s discussing it with city attorneys. “Whatever New York City law allows me to do, that’s what we’ll do.”
Notably, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio recently published an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, declaring plans to “dismantle” the International Criminal Court to eliminate what he called “a total threat to U.S. sovereignty.”