New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is again insisting that he would seek the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if the foreign leader were to visit the city. Mamdani reiterated the position Friday during an interview on “Politics Unusual” with host Morgan McKay.
McKay asked Mamdani when he plans to meet Mayor Eric Adams as part of the transition process.
“He’s currently abroad, when he returns we’ll be having that meeting,” Mamdani said.
McKay noted that Adams was in Israel and had publicly invited Netanyahu to attend Mamdani’s inauguration.
“You’ve said in the past that you want to arrest Netanyahu for alleged war crimes,” McKay said. “Do you plan to arrest Netanyahu on your first day?”
Mamdani replied, “So, my plan on my first day is to become sworn in as the next Mayor of New York City and deliver on the ‘affordability agenda.’ I’ve said time and again, this is a city of international law, a city that believes in those values and one that should honor the warrants that have been issued by the International Criminal Court, be it for Vladimir Putin or Benjamin Netanyahu.”
He added, “And I’ve also said that, unlike Donald Trump, I’m not going to create my own set of laws, and what that means is exhausting every single legal option.”
Mamdani said his focus is on governing the city, not on Adams’ travel or statements.
In December, former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan asked Mamdani during an interview whether he would welcome Netanyahu to New York City.
Mamdani responded, “No. As mayor, New York City would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu. This is a city that our values are in line with international law. It’s time that our actions are also.”
Hasan pressed Mamdani on whether he would pursue an arrest even though Israel is not a signatory to the International Criminal Court.
In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order sanctioning the ICC in response to its May 2024 arrest warrant for Netanyahu.
Mamdani said, “It’s time that we actually step up and make clear what we are willing to do to showcase the leadership that is sorely missing in the federal administration.”
Earlier this month, Mamdani repeated the same position at a speech at the B’nai Jeshurun synagogue in Manhattan.
“My answer is the same whether we are speaking about Vladimir Putin or Netanyahu,” Mamdani said.
“I think that this should be a city that is in compliance with international law,” he added.
Mamdani said other countries that are signatories to the ICC, including Canada and nations in Europe, have honored the same warrants and that Netanyahu has avoided travel to those places as a result.
Mamdani has previously said he believes “that Israel has a right to exist with equal rights for all,” and recently told Stephen Colbert on “Late Night” that “Yes, like all nations, I believe it has a right to exist.”
Mamdani has also been linked to anti-Israel activism in a report by Canary Mission, which said he has attended anti-Israel protests in New York City and took part in demonstrations shortly after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 Israelis.
The report also noted that Mamdani’s father, Mahmood Mamdani, is an anthropology professor at Columbia University, which has been a major focal point for campus protests following the attack.
His mother, filmmaker Mira Nair, signed an open letter urging the Academy Awards to bar actress Gal Gadot from presenting at the 2025 ceremony.