Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is set to travel to America for the United Nations (UNO) annual conference, has received an unexpected shock in New York City. Sensational remarks made by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, stating that Netanyahu would be arrested immediately if he sets foot in the city, are now causing a huge international uproar. The Mayor made these sensational comments in a special interview given to the renowned international newspaper ‘The New York Times’ on Saturday. Describing Netanyahu as a “war criminal,” he lashed out, saying that the Netanyahu government itself is responsible for the killings taking place in West Asia.
Mayor Mamdani referred to the war crimes charges already brought against Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on this occasion. He made it clear that, under ICC rules, Netanyahu is a person who should be in a prison in ‘The Hague’ in the Netherlands, and that such a person cannot be allowed to move around freely in their city. In fact, this kind of statement is nothing new for him. During the New York mayoral election campaign itself, he had promised the people that if he came to power, he would not let Netanyahu set foot in the city, and would have him arrested if he did. Now, even after being elected as Mayor, Mamdani reiterated that he stands by the same words.
However, given that a foreign head of state has diplomatic immunity, there is currently uncertainty over whether a city mayor has the legal authority to arrest him. Responding to this, Mayor Mamdani revealed that they are continuously consulting with New York City’s official legal advisors on this matter. He asserted firmly that he would not hesitate to take action to whatever extent New York City’s local laws provide legal latitude for doing so.
The Mayor stated that, because of the aggressive decisions and military attacks carried out by Netanyahu over the past several years, millions of people around the world share this same view, and that the world would not forgive Netanyahu’s actions. With the timing of the United Nations conference drawing near, such strong remarks made by the mayor of a key American city against the Israeli Prime Minister have become a major topic of discussion, both in Washington’s diplomatic circles and on international platforms.