Benjamin Netanyahu in the sights of the mayor of New York. Zohran Mamdani said on Tuesday (July 21) that his administration did not have the legal capacity to arrest the Israeli prime minister as it envisaged, and called on US federal authorities to act.
The elected Democrat had claimed to be leading discussions on the legal possibility of executing the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the Israeli leader, if he came to the UN General Assembly in September.
“My administration has considered all available avenues” and “it is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority necessary to enforce this mandate,” Zohran Mamdani said in a brief video message posted on social media.
“The federal government, on the other hand, has it, and I call on it to join the ICC in carrying out this mandate,” he urged.
War crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip
American President Donald Trump assured Monday that the Israeli Prime Minister, his ally in the war against Iran, would not be arrested in the United States, in reaction to the comments of Zohran Mamdani, of whom the Republican is a fervent critic.
The ICC, based in The Hague, issued arrest warrants in 2024 against Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes and against humanity in the Gaza Strip as part of the Israeli offensive carried out in retaliation for the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023.
“Anyone, with their eyes, their heart, their conscience, should recognize the devastation he (Benjamin Netanyahu) has caused and understand that he must appear before a court,” added the mayor in his video, reiterating his remarks published Saturday in the New York Times and which had been condemned by the Israeli Prime Minister’s office.
“I share the ICC’s view that Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes, just as I would for any other person indicted by the ICC,” he said.
With AFP
