The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024, accusing the Israeli leader of war crimes and crimes against humanity. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has called on the United States government to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Mamdani had reportedly said in an interview that his administration was mulling over whether to arrest Netanyahu. (via REUTERS)Calling the Israeli PM a “war criminal”, a reference he has made repeatedly, Mamdani said Netanyahu was the “architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people” in a video message posted to his official X handle.The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024, accusing the Israeli leader of war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, given that the US is not a party to the ICC, it isn't legally bound to enforce its arrest warrants.Mamdani had sparked international friction after he reportedly said in an interview that his administration was mulling over whether to arrest Netanyahu. "I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague," Mamdani told The New York Times, referring to the home of the UN International Court of Justice.However, US President Donald Trump said later that Netanyahu would not be arrested anywhere in America. “Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Monday.‘Responsible for killing 73,000 people, maiming children’In his message, Mamdani said “there is a reason” that Netanyahu has been issued an arrest warrant by the ICC. “He is responsible for the killing of more than 73,000 people. For the maiming of tens of thousands of children, as those who survive undergo amputation without anaesthesia,” the New York mayor stated.He further said that Israel had targeted neonatal hospitals and maternity care centres, and blocked food and aid for “countless people.”“For the targeting of neonatal hospitals and maternity care centres, denying newborns even the chance to live. For the countless people he starved as he blocked food and hundreds of aid workers and journalists,” Mamdani said. He added that the United Nations had last month “confirmed that Palestinian children continue to be deliberately targeted and killed by Israeli armed forces”, over eight months after the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza. He said the “list goes on and on”, adding that the Americans “pay for the bombs that do the killing.”NYC does not have ‘independent authority' for ICC warrantIn his message, Mamdani conceded that New York in itself does not have the authority to enforce the ICC warrant, but the federal government does. “My administration has reviewed every avenue available, under applicable law, to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here,” the mayor said.However, he added, “It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.” Mamdani said that human beings have “spent generations” building a shared understanding of crimes “so grave they offend all of humanity.” “Anyone, with their eyes, with their heart, with their conscience, should recognise the devastation he has wrought and understand that he belongs before a court of law,” he added.However, while conceding that New York could not act on the ICC warrant, Mamdani stated that Netanyahu was still “not welcome” there. “While we cannot end the genocide on our own, we can decide whether our silence will become another weapon, and we can examine every tool we have to defend the humanity and dignity of all people. That is my commitment to you,” Mamdani asserted.Zohran MamdaniNew York CityBenjamin NetanyahuGet the latest World News, breaking headlines and global updates from the US, UK, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia and other countries. Follow major international events on Hindustan Times.See Less