Mamdani Admits to Exploring Plan to Arrest Netanyahu in New York City

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is salivating over the possibility of arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu is expected to come to New York City in September when the U.N. General Assembly convenes.

“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mamdani told The New York Times, referring to the United Nations’ International Court of Justice.

“He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court,” Mamdani said. “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 has been overridden twice in recent months by the U.S. State Department for trying to deal with foreign leaders but remains firm on the question of arresting Netanyahu.

He said he was in “an active conversation” with the New York City Law Department about arresting Israel’s leader.

“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,” Mamdani said.

Mamdani has been talking about arresting Netanyahu since his campaign for mayor last year.

Netanyahu recently brushed aside the threat.

“I think he should look at who he’s condemning, who he’s praising,” he said during a radio interview.

“He’s condemning Israel, the one democracy that stands shoulder to shoulder with American values.”

“Who does he champion? Hamas, that calls openly to massacre every Jew on earth, that conducted that horrible massacre, the worst massacre on Jews since the Holocaust,” Netanyahu said.

Mamdani “doesn’t care” that “those who hate the Jews and Israel ultimately hate America,” Netanyahu contended.

“And in fact I think, secretly, he hates America,” Netanyahu said.

Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, accused Mamdani of tuning out the rise of anti-Semitism in New York City.

“Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will come to New York, address the United Nations General Assembly with pride, and stand before the world to state Israel’s truth and its unwavering right to defend its citizens,” Danon said.

Mamdani is failing to govern New York. Instead of focusing on his responsibilities as mayor and confronting the rising wave of antisemitism in his city, he has chosen to incite hostility and generate headlines by attacking the State of Israel.

It will not change a thing. Israeli… pic.twitter.com/kyHW6Yz1CA

— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) July 18, 2026

Last fall, the threat of Mamdani arresting Netanyahu was brought up to the Israeli leader during a White House visit, according to The Times of Israel.

President Donald Trump said he would deal with such an eventuality.

“I’ll get him out,” Trump said at the time.

“There’s enough craziness in the world, but I guess it never ends. This is appalling, and it’s silly in many ways because it’s just not serious,” Netanyahu said at the time.

Last year’s threats from Mamdani brought about a rebuke from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a fellow Democrat.

“The New York City mayor does not have the power to do that,” she said, according to The Times of Israel.

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