Portrait of Zohran Mamdani
Politician · person
Wikipedia (opens in new tab)

Zohran Mamdani on Benjamin Netanyahu

Vocal critic of Netanyahu (strong)

TL;DR

Zohran Mamdani has stated he would use his authority as mayor to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited New York City.

Key Points

  • Mamdani stated that as mayor he would honor an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged Gaza war crimes.

  • He described Netanyahu as a war criminal committing genocide during the military campaign in Gaza in a September 2025 interview.

  • The stance prompted a federal legislative response in September 2025 to prohibit state or local enforcement of any ICC warrant against the Israeli leader.

Summary

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, asserted his intention to order the city's police department to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he travel to the city. This stance is explicitly tied to honoring a potential arrest warrant for alleged war crimes issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) from November 2024. Mamdani described Netanyahu as a war criminal committing genocide during the military campaign in Gaza and stated his desire to ensure New York City stands up for international law.

His pledge to potentially take custody of the Prime Minister at the airport, if he were to step foot in the city, would put him in direct conflict with the federal government, as the United States does not recognize the ICC's authority. Following his election to mayor in November 2025, this controversial position led to federal legislative action attempting to prohibit state and local law enforcement from enforcing any ICC warrant or indictment. He has reiterated this commitment, which has drawn strong reactions in New York City.

Frequently Asked Questions

Zohran Mamdani holds a strongly negative position on Benjamin Netanyahu, viewing him as a war criminal. According to reports from September 2025, he pledged to attempt to arrest Netanyahu if the Israeli Prime Minister were to visit New York City while an ICC warrant was active.

Yes, Zohran Mamdani intended to follow through on his pledge to order the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu if he traveled to New York City, as stated in a September 2025 interview. He framed this intention as a commitment to upholding international law, which drew immediate political backlash.

Zohran Mamdani explicitly stated that Benjamin Netanyahu was committing genocide with Israel's military campaign in Gaza in September 2025. He based his plan to order an arrest on an outstanding ICC warrant related to these alleged war crimes.

Sources2

* This is not an exhaustive list of sources.