New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would support the United States joining the International Criminal Court (ICC) and enforcing its arrest warrants, including the warrant issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mamdani made the remarks in an interview that aired Thursday on comedian Theo Von’s podcast, “This Past Weekend.” The mayor acknowledged this summer that, under current law, he has no authority to arrest Netanyahu over the ICC’s 2024 warrant alleging war crimes in Gaza.
“I believe that the US government should join the ICC. It should enforce its warrants for everyone,” Mamdani told Von.
Speaking about Netanyahu, he added, “When you ask about the prime minister, we’re talking about the architect of a horrific genocide.”
The ICC has 124 member states and may prosecute crimes committed by citizens of member countries, as well as crimes carried out on the territory of member states by individuals from elsewhere.
Neither Israel nor the United States is a member of the court, and both countries reject its jurisdiction.
When the ICC issued its warrant for Netanyahu, US officials—including members of the Biden administration and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)—criticized the move as “shameful,” “unserious,” and “troubling.”
During his mayoral campaign, however, Mamdani pledged to have Netanyahu arrested if the Israeli leader entered New York City.
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Mamdani later softened that position. After examining possible legal options in July, he concluded that no lawful avenue existed to arrest Netanyahu.
“If I had my say, the US government would have joined the ICC and honored every single warrant that they’ve issued,” Mamdani said during the podcast interview.
Von responded, “F–k yeah.”
Netanyahu visited New York City last month for the United Nations General Assembly. During his address, he criticized Mamdani and said that “Jews no longer feel safe” in the city under the mayor.
The Israeli prime minister also condemned Mamdani’s accusation that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and criticized Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, for liking anti-Israel posts on social media.
Mamdani described Netanyahu’s criticism as “strange.”
“I was having a meeting with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands at the LGBTQ center in downtown Manhattan … and then I get back from that meeting, and it’s like, ‘Oh, by the way, here’s what he was saying at the UN.’”
Mamdani argued that Netanyahu’s remarks were intended to divert attention from questions of accountability.
“If I was the architect of a genocide, I would probably talk about anything but that,” he said.