Mamdani Promises: If I Become Mayor, I Will Arrest Netanyahu

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: In an interview with the New York Times, he said that Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal who committed genocide in Gaza.

 

Mamdani promised that if the Israeli prime minister comes to New York, he will honor the International Criminal Court's order to arrest Netanyahu by arresting him at the airport.

 

The New York Times, however, wrote in its report: "Legal experts have said that arresting Mr. Netanyahu would be virtually impossible, and some said that this could violate federal law."

 

The American media outlet, close to the Democrats, pointed to the large Jewish presence in New York and added: “Mr. Mamdani’s promise is likely to provoke strong reactions in the second largest Jewish home in the world.”

 

Mamdani had previously said in the Democratic primary campaign for New York City mayor that he would arrest Netanyahu.

 

According to the New York Times, he did not back down from his promise in an interview with the newspaper and confirmed that he would order Netanyahu’s arrest as soon as he arrived in New York. “That’s what I intend to do,” he said.

 

Criticizing the positions of the Donald Trump administration, Mamdani said: “This is a moment when we cannot look to the federal government for leadership. This is a moment when cities and states must show how they really need to defend their values ​​and their people.”

 

While continuing to support Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Trump has boycotted the International Criminal Court and, in protest of the arrest warrant for Netanyahu, said that the court “has no jurisdiction over the United States or Israel.”

 

Despite the efforts of Israel supporters across the United States against Mamdani and the all-out campaign against him, he is leading in the polls. The election to determine the new mayor of New York will be held on November 4.

 

According to the New York Times, “A recent poll by the New York Times and Sinai University found that New Yorkers support Mr. Mamdani’s position on Israel and the war. Mr. Mamdani led the poll with about 30 percent support, followed by current Mayor Eric Adams and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.”

 

Cuomo is a staunch supporter of the Zionist regime and voluntarily joined Netanyahu’s legal defense team after the Hague court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu.

 

The New York Times reported reaching out to Netanyahu’s office for comment on the threat to arrest him in New York. According to the outlet, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office did not respond to the request. However, Netanyahu himself had said in his last meeting with Trump at the White House that he was not concerned about Mamdani’s threat to arrest him during his trip to New York, calling the possibility of his arrest “stupid in many ways.”

 

The US president also threatened Mamdani during the same meeting, saying: “He better behave himself. Otherwise, he will face big problems.”

 

Mamdani said in a new interview with the New York Times: “My wish is for this city to be a city that defends international law.”

 

The Democratic and Muslim candidate for mayor of New York added that, given the 2023 ruling of the International Criminal Court against Russian President Vladimir Putin, he is also willing to arrest him.

 

The New York Times wrote: “The court (in The Hague) does not have a police force and relies on the enforcement of the law by its member states. Countries that have ratified its statute are required to execute arrest warrants, but U.S. presidents of both parties have refused to allow the court’s jurisdiction to be exercised on U.S. soil.”

 

Beth Van Schack, the U.S. envoy for international criminal justice in the Biden administration, said that Netanyahu’s arrest could theoretically be possible, but it was unclear whether the New York City police force would have the authority to do so.

 

“It is also unclear whether [New York] Police Department officials would agree to Mr. Mamdani’s request to arrest Mr. Netanyahu,” the New York Times reported.

 

George Grasso, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner of law from 1997 to 2002, called the idea of ​​detaining Netanyahu in the city “a strange one.”

 

Part of the police commissioner’s job, he said, is to tell the mayor that his requests are in violation of police authority. "I looked the mayor in the eye and said, 'No, we can't do this,'" Grasso added.