While some people are looking to New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani to kiss their boo-boo and make it better, I think it is safe to say that most folks can recognize an underqualified empty suit when they see one. Mamdani's candidacy was successful due to a particular set of circumstances, coupled with outrageous promises to address issues ranging from unaffordable housing to food prices, as well as providing free bus and subway travel by executive fiat. At first blush, this looks like Lefitst Politics 101: promise the lumpenproletariat free stuff. However, a closer look reveals that we may be dealing with a man who is simply unmoored from reality.
During his campaign, Mamdani played to his terrorist-simp base by promising to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he ever deign to step foot in New York.
Which is why his repeated promise to order the Police Department to arrest the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, if he were to come to New York City while Mamdani was mayor, has confounded several of Mamdani’s allies — and fed his enemies.
Mamdani has said he would be honoring the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court charging Netanyahu with crimes against humanity in Gaza. But the United States does not recognize the authority of the I.C.C., and legal experts regard such an arrest as most likely illegal. More to the point, the act could prompt something like a constitutional crisis with the Police Department. Trump has already promised that he would intercede.
What Mamdani is referring to is the International Criminal Court arrest warrants issued for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes for thrashing Hamas after the ghastly October 7, 2023, slaughter of Israeli civilians; see International Criminal Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu – RedState.
Netanyahu has been invited to visit New York City by Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, and has said he plans to visit.
Netanyahu dismissed any threat of arrest in an interview on Thursday with pro-Israel Australian journalist Erin Molan, insisting he was "not afraid" of travelling to New York.
He used the interview to belittle Mamdani's political experience and activism, calling him "a young, uneducated leader" and attacking his Democratic Socialist views.
Mamdani doubled down on his threat Friday in an interview on the "Politics Unusual" show hosted by Morgan McKay.
🚨 NEW: Zohran Mamdani on Whether He Would Arrest Netanyahu if He Attends His Inauguration
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) November 15, 2025
“This is a city of international law … and one that should honor the warrants that have been issued by the International Criminal Court, be it for Vladimir Putin or Benjamin Netanyahu.” pic.twitter.com/E1TPkEC1Np
MCKAY: Now, you and Mayor Eric Adams, your teams have met to discuss the transition. You two haven't met yet. When do you plan to meet?
MAMDANI: He's currently abroad, when he returns we'll be having that meeting.
MCKAY: So he's in Israel, he's in Israel today. He seems to be needling you a little bit in these final days. In certain policy moves that he's been making. He also invited the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to come to New York City on your first day, when you're being sworn in. You've said in the past that you want to arrest Netanyahu for alleged war crimes. Do you plan to arrest Netanyahu on your first day?
MAMDANI: So, my plan on my first day is to become sworn in as the next Mayor of New York City and deliver on the "affordability agenda." I've said time and again, this is a city of international law, a city that believes in those values and one that should honor the warrants that have been issued by the International Criminal Court, be it for Vladimir Putin or Benjamin Netanyahu. And I've also said that, unlike Donald Trump, I'm not going to create my own set of laws, and what that means is exhausting every single legal option. Now the Mayor is free to travel where he would like to spend the final weeks and months of his administration and he's free to speak to whomever he would like to. My focus is actually on delivering for New Yorkers; that's what I'm going to be doing.
President Trump may "create" his own laws, but Mamdani is vowing to violate federal law to try to effect Netanyahu's arrest. Factually, the U.S. does not recognize the ICC, and warrants and opinions issued by it have no weight or value in the U.S. New York City, as Mamdani should find out when he is sworn in, is governed by U.S., not international law, regardless of his preferences. In February, President Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on everyone at the ICC who was involved in indicting Netanyahu; see Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court – The White House.
I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, find that the International Criminal Court (ICC), as established by the Rome Statute, has engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel. The ICC has, without a legitimate basis, asserted jurisdiction over and opened preliminary investigations concerning personnel of the United States and certain of its allies, including Israel, and has further abused its power by issuing baseless arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant. The ICC has no jurisdiction over the United States or Israel, as neither country is party to the Rome Statute or a member of the ICC. Neither country has ever recognized the ICC’s jurisdiction, and both nations are thriving democracies with militaries that strictly adhere to the laws of war.
...
The United States will impose tangible and significant consequences on those responsible for the ICC’s transgressions, some of which may include the blocking of property and assets, as well as the suspension of entry into the United States of ICC officials, employees, and agents, as well as their immediate family members, as their entry into our Nation would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.
[Four more ICC judges were sanctioned in June; see New: Rubio Reminds the ICC How Sovereign Nations Act After 4 of Its Judges Savaged US Troops, Israeli PM - RedState.-- Ed.]
Moreover, there is a federal law that requires this stance. Enter the American Service-Members' Protection Act. This law was passed in direct response to potential politically driven ICC indictments of U.S. servicemembers serving in Afghanistan. The law was jokingly referred to as The Hague Invasion Act.
How does this help Netanyahu? The "person described in subsection (b)" also includes our formal and informal allies:
- COVERED ALLIED PERSONS- The term `covered allied persons' means military personnel, elected or appointed officials, and other persons employed by or working on behalf of the government of a NATO member country, a major non-NATO ally (including Australia, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Argentina, the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand), or Taiwan, for so long as that government is not a party to the International Criminal Court and wishes its officials and other persons working on its behalf to be exempted from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
Any nation attempting to detain Netanyahu would be in direct confrontation with the U.S. That might not have been a big deal under Biden, but it will be a big deal under Trump.
[Editor's Note: This article was edited for clarity after publication.]
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