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New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who declared victory in the Democratic primary for mayor on Tuesday, said previously that he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he ever visited the city.
In December, former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan, now editor-in-chief and CEO of Zeteo, asked Mamdani, “Mayor Mamdani, would you welcome Prime Minister Netanyahu to New York City for the — for whatever he comes for, given the U.S. is not a signatory to the ICC, so he can travel to the U.S., unlike a lot of other countries? Would a Mayor Mamdani welcome Benjamin Netanyahu to this city?”
Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assembly member from Queens who was born and raised in Uganda, told Hasan, “No. As mayor, New York City would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu. This is a city that our values are in line with international law. It’s time that our actions are also.”
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New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who declared victory in the Democratic primary for mayor on Tuesday, previously said that he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he ever visited the city. (Getty Images)
Hasan pressed Mamdani, asking him if he would still arrest Netanyahu even though Israel is not part of the International Criminal Court (ICC), an organization that reviews global matters like war crimes and genocide.
In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order sanctioning the ICC in response to its May 2024 arrest warrant for Netanyahu.
Mamdani told Hasan that, “It’s time that we actually step up and make clear what we are willing to do to showcase the leadership that is sorely missing in the federal administration.”
In a speech earlier this month at the B’nai Jeshurun synagogue in Manhattan, Mamdani appeared to double down on his position that he would arrest Netanyahu as mayor.
“My answer is the same whether we are speaking about Vladimir Putin or Netanyahu. I think that this should be a city that is in compliance with international law,” Mamdani said. “And we have seen other countries across the world that are signatories of the ICC [International Criminal Court] that they would honor that same request, being Canada or other countries in Europe, and their honoring of it meant that Netanyahu did not travel there.”
During an event in May, Mamdani reportedly said that he believes “that Israel has a right to exist with equal rights for all,” and recently told Late Night host Stephen Colbert that, “Yes, like all nations, I believe it has a right to exist.”
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Zohran Mamdani has been linked to anti-Israel activism, according to a report by antisemitic watchdog group Canary Mission, which said that Mamdani regularly attends New York City’s anti-Israel protests. (REUTERS/Bing Guan)
He has been linked to anti-Israel activism, according to a report by Canary Mission, a watchdog group that tracks antisemitism, which said that Mamdani regularly attends New York City’s anti-Israel protests, and that he took part in protests against Israel days after the Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack that killed 1,200 Israelis.
The report also noted that Mamdani’s father, Mahmood Mamdani, is an anthropology professor at Columbia University, which has been a hub of anti-Israel protests since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack.
It also highlights that Mamdani’s filmmaker mother, Mira Nair, signed an open letter calling for Israeli actress Gal Gadot to be removed from presenting at the 2025 Academy Awards.
During his victory speech on Tuesday, Mamdani said that he envisions a New York City “where the mayor will use their power to reject Donald Trump’s fascism, to stop mass ICE agents from deporting our neighbors and to govern our city as a model for the Democratic Party.”
During his victory speech on Tuesday, Zohran Mamdani said that he envisions a New York City “where the mayor will use their power to reject Donald Trump’s fascism.” (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)
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Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.