New York City’s incoming mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, has again stated that he intends to honor the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if the Israeli leader enters the city. Mamdani held this position throughout his campaign, and he has continued to reiterate it after winning office.
His comments resurfaced as Mayor Eric Adams met Netanyahu during a farewell visit and, according to local reporting, urged him to attend Mamdani’s swearing-in ceremony, reports Fox News.
Appearing on ABC7, Mamdani described New York as a “city of international law” and argued that such a city must observe the ICC’s warrants issued in 2024, which allege that Netanyahu targeted civilians and used starvation as a method of warfare.
“I’ve said time and again that I believe this is a city of international law, and being a city of international law means looking to uphold international law,” he said. “And that means upholding the warrants from the International Criminal Court, whether they’re for Benjamin Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin.
“We are a global city, but what New Yorkers are looking for is consistency in the way we talk about our values and follow through with them,” he said. “That’s why these warrants from the International Criminal Court are worth fully exploring — every legal possibility to actually follow through on.”
Mamdani had voiced this position even before Election Day. In an earlier interview on Fox News’ “The Story,” he told Martha MacCallum that he would arrest Netanyahu if the law allowed it, saying New York “wants to uplift and uphold” those principles.
He has also said he does not intend to push for new legislation that would make such an arrest possible and contrasted his approach with that of former President Donald Trump.
“Unlike Donald Trump, I’m someone who looks to exist within the confines of the laws that we have,” he said. “So, I will look to exhaust every legal possibility, not create my own laws, to do so.”
Mamdani acknowledges that the United States is not a signatory to the ICC treaty, but he maintains that the city should still aim to respect the court’s warrants while “abiding with all of the laws in front of us.”
Adams’ meeting with Netanyahu took place as Mamdani continued sharing his views. In remarks to Israel Hayom, the outgoing mayor expressed hope that Netanyahu would attend the January 1 inauguration.
“I believe the prime minister should visit the city. I think he should start with the inauguration ceremony of Mamdani in the presence of the City Council on January 1 to send a strong message to the largest Jewish community outside Israel. He needs to make clear to the entire community that he will continue visiting the city as often as possible, and he should begin on January 1.”
In the ABC7 interview, Mamdani also restated his commitment to New York’s Jewish community.
“It will be my responsibility that I will uphold to not only protect Jewish New Yorkers, but to celebrate and cherish them in the city,” he added.
When Adams departs office on January 1, Mamdani will begin his term as the first Muslim and South Asian mayor of the nation’s most populous city.
