On July 19th, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a statement on social media, condemning remarks by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio regarding the 'arrest of Netanyahu'. It also criticized the International Criminal Court as a 'kangaroo court' (a court that rushes around handling cases without caring about justice).
The statement said that Mamdani should focus on repairing the damage his policies have caused to New York.
Netanyahu Office also claimed that Mamdani's actions were aimed at diverting public attention from his "stupid behavior" by attacking "the Jewish state and its leaders, the only democratic country in the Middle East."
Mamdani and Netanyahu - Profile Photos
In 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest order against Netanyahu, charging him with crimes against humanity and war crimes from at least October 8, 2023, until May 20, 2024.
As early as during his tenure as a candidate for New York City mayor, Mamdani said that if Netanyahu visited New York, he would be arrested.
In July last year, Netanyahu visited the United States. During discussions on related issues, U.S. President Trump offered to save Netanyahu.
On July 18th local time, Mamdani reiterated that he is in discussions with relevant municipal authorities regarding whether New York has the authority to arrest Netanyahu if he travels to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly in September this year.
I believe that Netanyahu should be sent to The Hague for trial, as he is charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court. Mamdani acknowledged, however, that he is uncertain whether he has authority to instruct the NYPD to detain foreign leaders and is therefore discussing this issue with city government lawyers. "New York City law determines what I can do, and we will do that."
It is worth mentioning that U.S. Secretary of State Rubio recently wrote in a report for the American media outlet The Wall Street Journal, announcing his intention to 'disarm' the International Criminal Court, in order to eliminate the institution's 'full-throated threat to U.S. sovereignty'.
