Netanyahu shrugs off Mamdani's threat to enforce ICC arrest warrant, says he'll visit NYC anyway

Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday (Dec 3) brushed off threats from the city's incoming mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who has said he would enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister and said that he still plans to visit New York.

What did Netanyahu say?

Speaking in a virtual interview with the New York Times' DealBook forum, Netanyahu was asked directly if the ICC issue would keep him away from New York. Without hesitation, he said, "Yes, I'll come to New York." When asked whether he intended to speak with Mamdani, Netanyahu added that a conversation would only make sense if the mayor-elect acknowledged Israel's right to exist. That, he said, would be a good starting point. "If he changes his mind and says that we have the right to exist, that'll be a good opening for a conversation."

Mamdani, a democratic socialist who is set to become the city’s first Muslim and first South Asian mayor, has publicly insisted that he supports Israel's right to exist. Where he draws the line is in defining it as a Jewish state. He argues that no country should have a "hierarchy of citizenship" based on religion or other factors. His stance has put him at odds with Israeli leaders and many American politicians.

He has also said that as mayor, he would direct the NYPD to act on ICC warrants, whether they target Netanyahu or Russian President Vladimir Putin.

ICC warrant against Netanyahu

The ICC said last year that it had reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu was responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity tied to Israel's military campaign in Gaza after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Israel has rejected the allegations, and along with the United States and Russia, is not a member of the court.

Even so, an arrest is widely viewed as improbable. The Trump administration has taken a hard line against the ICC, even imposing sanctions on some of its officials.