New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a podcast interview aired Thursday that, if he had the authority to decide, the United States would join the International Criminal Court (ICC) and enforce its arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mamdani, who acknowledged this summer that he lacks the legal power to enforce the ICC’s 2024 warrant against Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza, renewed his criticism of the Israeli leader during an appearance on comedian Theo Von’s podcast.
“I believe that the US government should join the ICC. It should enforce its warrants for everyone,” Mamdani told Von on “This Past Weekend.”
Speaking specifically 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 can prosecute crimes committed by citizens of those countries, as well as crimes committed on the territory of member states by others.
Neither Israel nor the United States is a member of the court, and both countries reject its jurisdiction.
At the time, US officials—including members of the Biden administration and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)—condemned the warrant against Netanyahu as “shameful,” “unserious,” and “troubling.”
During his mayoral campaign, however, Mamdani had pledged to arrest Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister ever traveled to New York City.
Mamdani later reversed course in July after examining possible legal routes for arresting Netanyahu and concluding that none were available.
“If I had my say, the US government would have joined the ICC and honored every single warrant that they’ve issued,” Mamdani told Von.
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 denounced Mamdani’s accusation that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza and criticized Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, over her reported likes on anti-Israel social media posts.
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 shift attention away from accountability.
“If I was the architect of a genocide, I would probably talk about anything but that,” he said.
