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Zohran Mamdani, nan New York City mayor, doubled down connected his support for nan world criminal tribunal connected Wednesday, a time aft calling on national authorities to execute nan court’s warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu’s apprehension should he sojourn nan metropolis successful nan fall.
“I telephone connected nan national authorities to subordinate nan world criminal tribunal and to execute some this warrant arsenic good arsenic immoderate warrant nan world criminal tribunal holds,” Mamdani told reporters astatine a property convention connected Wednesday.
Those remarks came little than 24 hours aft Mamdani called nan Israeli premier curate a “war criminal” who is “not invited successful New York City” successful a video statement posted connected societal media connected Tuesday. The politician admitted that he has nary ineligible authority to nonstop New York constabulary to apprehension Netanyahu should he be nan United Nations wide assembly successful September. The politician had antecedently said he was “in conversation” pinch metropolis lawyers to find whether his management could apprehension Netanyahu, arsenic he had pledged to do during his mayoral run past year.
“I judge that Prime curate Netanyahu belongs successful The Hague,” Mamdani told nan New York Times past week, referring to nan metropolis successful nan Netherlands that is location to location to nan court, known arsenic nan ICC, which issued an apprehension warrant for Netanyahu successful November 2024 complete alleged warfare crimes successful Gaza.
Neither nan US nor Israel are members of nan ICC, which nan US authorities has agelong opposed and which Marco Rubio, nan caput of state, this period threatened to “dismantle” by pressuring different nations to wantonness it.
The warrant, which nan ICC issued for nan apprehension of Netanyahu and nan erstwhile defence curate Yoav Gallant, accused them of warfare crimes and crimes against humanity, including “starvation arsenic a method of warfare, and … murder, persecution, and different inhumane acts”.
Mamdani said he concluded his management has nary authority to execute nan ICC apprehension warrant, but shifted nan load connected nan Trump administration to do so. “It is clear that we do not person nan independent ineligible authority to enforce this warrant,” he said successful Tuesday’s statement. “The national government, however, does – and I telephone connected them to subordinate nan ICC and execute this warrant.”
Trump has already said he will do nary specified thing.
Netanyahu “will not beryllium arrested” connected US soil, nan president said successful a societal media station earlier this week, adding that nan Israeli premier curate is “fighting against nan Islamic Republic of Iran” and “the only ones that should beryllium arrested are nan group that led Iran into this unprecedented spiral of decease and destruction”.
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Netanyahu had said successful nan past he was “not concerned” pinch Mamdani’s threat and his agency said successful a statement past week that nan politician “appears willing successful diverting nationalist attraction from his follies and attacking nan leader of nan Jewish authorities and nan only populist successful nan Middle East”. It called nan ICC a “kangaroo court”.
Other pro-Israel officials and legislators besides slammed some Mamdani and nan court.
“I deliberation nan politician should enactment successful his lane,” Jonathan Harounoff, Israel’s erstwhile world spokesperson astatine nan United Nations, told NY1, accusing him of “political theater”.
John Fetterman, 1 of nan astir staunchly pro-Israel Democrats successful nan Senate, called Mamdani a “clown” who should “sit down”.
“America’s not moreover portion of that corrupt court,” Fetterman said successful an question and reply pinch Fox News complete nan weekend. “That’s really not your purview.”
But astatine Wednesday’s property conference, Mamdani rejected suggestions that Israel’s war crimes successful Gaza person thing to do pinch New York City.
“This is thing that has not only offended nan conscience, nan morals, nan specified humanity of truthful galore New Yorkers, but it has besides ripped isolated nan lives of truthful galore that person been affected by it arsenic well,” he said. “I deliberation that it is incredibly important that we guarantee that we person done each of our owed diligence erstwhile conducting a review.”
