New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani made waves when he pledged to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city. The Democratic Socialist declared in December, “As mayor, New York City would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu,” citing an ICC warrant against the Israeli leader and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
“This is a city where our values align with international law,” Mamdani said. “It’s time our actions reflect that too.”
Netanyahu addressed the issue Monday night after meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss Israel’s war with Hamas and the threat from Iran.
Asked if he feared arrest, Netanyahu brushed it off. “I’m not concerned about that,” he said. “I’m going to come there with President Trump, and we’ll see.”
He dismissed Mamdani’s remarks as unserious: “It’s silly in many ways.”
Trump, however, didn’t hold back. “We don’t know who the mayor’s going to be yet, but this is a communist. He’s said some really bad things about Jewish people,” the former president claimed.
Trump warned Mamdani against pushing too far: “He needs the money through the White House. He better behave. Otherwise, he’s going to have big problems.”
Turning back to Gaza, Netanyahu said what is serious is ensuring Israel’s security. “After October 7th, we saw what Hamas did with Gaza. Massacres, rapes, terror tunnels — we’re not handing them another platform to destroy us.”
“We’ll make peace with neighbors who don’t want to annihilate us,” he added. “But never again means never again — and never again is now.”