Architect of horrific genocide: Mamdani says US should enforce Netanyahu's arrest

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has renewed his criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing him as the "architect of a horrific genocide" and called for the United States to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) and enforce its arrest warrants, including the warrant against Netanyahu.

Mamdani made the remarks during an interview with comedian and podcaster Theo Von on This Past Weekend, weeks after Netanyahu criticised the New York mayor during his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

"If I had my say, the US government would have joined the ICC and honoured every single warrant that they've issued," Mamdani said.

Referring to Netanyahu, he added, "When you ask about the Prime Minister, we're talking about the architect of a horrific genocide".

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with Israel's military operations in Gaza. Israel and the United States are not members of the ICC and have rejected its jurisdiction in the case.

During the podcast, Von asked Mamdani whether he believed Netanyahu should have been arrested when he was in New York. Mamdani said his earlier position had changed after examining the legal authority available to the New York mayor.

"If the federal government were to join the International Criminal Court, it could enforce an arrest warrant," he said.

When Von pointed out that the US is not a member of the court, Mamdani replied: “We’re not. But I believe we should join it, and that we should enforce its warrants.”

He said the issue was not simply about Netanyahu but about the credibility of international law.

“The more that people see someone breaking a law or a rule and there being no accountability for it, the more they begin to ask whether those rules have any value at all,” Mamdani said.

He argued that the international system established after World War II, including the United Nations and the principle of multilateralism, was weakened when international rules were not enforced.

“The United States government should join the International Criminal Court. It should enforce every warrant that has been issued,” he said, adding that Netanyahu's warrant concerned allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes.MAMDANI HAD EARLIER VOWED TO ARREST NETANYAHU

The comments come months after Mamdani softened a campaign pledge to arrest Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister travelled to New York.

During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani had said he would seek to enforce the ICC warrant if Netanyahu entered the city. However, after reviewing the legal framework, he acknowledged that the mayor did not have the authority to carry out such an arrest.

Netanyahu nevertheless travelled to New York last month to attend the UN General Assembly.

The Israeli prime minister used his address to criticise Mamdani, saying Jews no longer felt safe in New York under his leadership. Netanyahu also criticised Mamdani's description of Israel's actions in Gaza and attacked his wife, Rama Duwaji, over social media activity related to Israel.

Mamdani dismissed the criticism as an effort to shift attention away from the allegations facing Netanyahu.

“It was strange,” Mamdani said, recalling that he was meeting the Dutch prime minister at an LGBTQ centre in Manhattan when he was informed about Netanyahu's remarks at the UN.

“All of this is an attempt to distract from responsibility,” he said. “This is not about me and him. This is about the fact that he is the architect of a genocide.”

“If I was the architect of a genocide, I would probably talk about anything but that,” he added.

The mayor also addressed concerns that criticism of Israel and anger over the Gaza war could spill over into hostility towards Jewish people in New York.

Mamdani said he was proud that New York has the largest Jewish population of any US city and stressed that Jewish New Yorkers should not be held responsible for actions taken by the Israeli government.

The mayor also spoke about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, arguing that Palestinian civilians continued to be harmed despite discussions of a ceasefire.- Ends