Editor’s note: The following is a statement made by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He said New York City cannot arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if he comes to NYC, but the Federal government can, and he called on the Feds to do so.
“While we cannot end the genocide on our own, we can decide whether our silence will become another weapon and we can examine every tool we have to defend the humanity and dignity of all people. That is my commitment to you.” — NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani
Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people. He is responsible for the killing of more than 73,000 people, for the maiming of tens of thousands of children as those who survive undergo amputation without anesthesia. For the targeting of neonatal hospitals and maternity care centers denying newborns even the chance to live. For the countless people he starved as he blocked food and humanitarian aid from reaching them. For the gunning down of hundreds of aid workers and journalists.
And just last month, the United Nations confirmed that Palestinian children continue to be deliberately targeted and killed by Israeli armed forces more than eight months after the so-called ceasefire. The list goes on and on. All as we as Americans pay for the bombs that do the killing.
There is a reason the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest. As human beings, we have spent generations building a shared understanding that there are crimes so grave they offend all of humanity. Anyone with their eyes, with their heart, with their conscience should recognize the devastation he has brought and understand that he belongs before a court of law.
As I’ve said, I agree with the International Criminal Court that Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes as I do for anyone else charged by the ICC.
My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here. It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant.
The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant. And I want to be equally clear. Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large.
While we cannot end the genocide on our own, we can decide whether our silence will become another weapon and we can examine every tool we have to defend the humanity and dignity of all people. That is my commitment to you.
