The politics behind Mamdani's call to arrest Netanyahu
text_fields
Yes, Zohram Mamdani, the mayor of New York City, has really stirred up the hornets' nest. Hard-core Republican senators, Jewish groups, and the US president, Donald Trump himself, have all taken up the cudgel against Mamdani. What he said was a reiteration of his earlier comments during his 2024 mayoral election campaign. He pledged in an interview that “as mayor, New York City would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu. This is a city where our values align with international law. It's time our actions do as well.”
Mamdani doubled down on his statement, saying Netanyahu orchestrated the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity. In November 2024, the Hague-based court found reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu bears responsibility for these crimes. Though the court had not issued its verdict, the warrant itself was a moral blow to the Israeli Prime Minister.
More than 75,000 people, including women and children, were killed by Israeli bombings in Gaza. Israel, however, rejects the claims of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
Mamdani's recent statement drew sharp criticism from right-wing quarters and raised doubts about the legality of the so-called arrest.
Firstly, neither the United States nor Israel is a party to the ICC, so the court has no jurisdiction in the US. Further, New York City is a municipality within the state of New York, and a municipal mayor has no legal right to execute an ICC ruling. At the same time, Mamdani insists the federal government has the authority to execute the warrant. In fact, the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty establishing the ICC, and thus has no obligation to execute the warrant. President Trump clarified that Netanyahu will not be arrested in any form. Additionally, heads of state and UN representatives have immunity in the United States.
Mamdani might have been aware of this but stated his political and moral position nonetheless. In his latest video, he said the international court’s warrant should be honoured. As a socialist, he clearly takes a strong political stance. He hopes to gain support from Democrats and liberals. Many progressive and left-leaning Jews supported Mamdani, which helped him get elected mayor of New York City—a Jewish stronghold. While branded a jihadist or left liberal by his right-wing critics, he managed to garner support from Jewish groups. Now, he wants to reaffirm his stance against Israel and Netanyahu, boldly calling Netanyahu a war criminal and the orchestrator of genocide in Gaza.
The timing is also significant. Support for Israel among Democratic voters appears to be declining. Democrats are becoming more critical of US support for Israel. A recent AP-NORC poll suggests that 58% of Democrats believe the US is too supportive of Israel, up from 45% in 2024. Even among Jewish Democrats, 51% say the US is too supportive. Mamdani aims to capitalise on these sentiments, which give him political mileage.
For Trump, this is an opportunity to win the hearts of Jewish voters who support the Democrats. He wants to portray Mamdani as pro-Iranian. The Republican president wants to project himself as Israel’s protector while Democrats drift away from their support for Israel. Trump’s statement is loud and clear. Netanyahu will not be arrested in any shape or form in the US.
Netanyahu, for his part, said he is not concerned about the threat of arrest. The Israeli ambassador to the UN went so far as to call Mamdani a clown. Israel does not respect the ICC and has labelled it a kangaroo court. However, this narrative may give Netanyahu a boost in the forthcoming general election. The more he stirs the narrative of antisemitism, the more domestic support he will garner.