After cordial meeting with Trump, Mamdani decries ‘architect of genocide’ Netanyahu
NYC mayor says ICC arrest warrant against Israeli PM should be honored, though he's acknowledged he has no power in matter; Trump praises Mamdani, says he hopes he'll be 'great'
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday renewed his verbal attacks on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that in his view, the premier should be arrested during his upcoming visit to the UN General Assembly in the city.
“When it comes to Benjamin Netanyahu, I have described him as I believe him to be — a war criminal and an architect of a horrific genocide of the Palestinian people,” Mamdani told CNN in an interview after holding a cordial meeting with US President Donald Trump in New York City, adding that the issue was discussed with the US president at the mayor’s residence, Gracie Mansion.
The far-left mayor, who vowed for months to arrest Netanyahu if he came to New York City even though he lacks the authority to do so, recently acknowledged he is powerless to prevent the visit, and added that he will not be attending planned protests against the premier’s presence.
Citing the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes during Israel’s war in Gaza against Palestinian terror group Hamas, Mamdani said: “I do believe that that is something that should be honored, because what we want to see, and we’ve been talking about this today, is a faith in our politics, a faith in accountability.”
“If the International Criminal Court deems someone worthy of an arrest because of a violation of those laws, then who are we to say that anyone should be above that? And I think very clearly that everyone should be held accountable to it,” he said.
The ICC was established in 2002 by the international community to prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. It asserts jurisdiction only if a member state is unable or unwilling to prosecute atrocities itself.
The United States has never been an ICC member. Israel is not an ICC member and rejects its authority and jurisdiction over its nationals and activities. It says the ICC also has no jurisdiction regarding the Palestinians since there is no sovereign Palestinian state.
Israel has rejected the accusation that it is carrying out genocide in Gaza, and said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.
Netanyahu hit back at Mamdani in a video message on Tuesday, one day before his departure for the UN General Assembly, and declared that he was coming to the United Nations to tell the truth about the democratic socialist mayor.
“Shame on you, Mr. Mamdani,” Netanyahu said, accusing him of supporting Hamas and encouraging violence against New York City’s Jews.
“Shame on you for supporting the Hamas terrorist monsters who butchered our people,” Netanyahu said. “Shame on you for inciting riots against New York Jews.”
“I am coming to the UN,” he continued. “I’m going to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers. And I’m going to tell the truth about you.”
Netanyahu is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Thursday. He will take off for the annual meeting on Wednesday and will return on Friday, a source in the Prime Minister’s Office told The Times of Israel last week.
He is not among the world leaders scheduled to meet Trump on the sidelines of the General Assembly, and it is unlikely the pair will have time in their itineraries to squeeze in a sit-down, a US official told The Times of Israel.
During their meeting on Monday, Trump heaped praise on Mamdani as the pair set aside their political differences to discuss immigration enforcement and a multi-billion dollar housing project to make New York more affordable for the working class.
“Hopefully, you’re going to be a great [mayor]. I’ll be able to say you’re going to be a great one, and you’re off to a start,” Trump told Mamdani at a news conference.
“We appreciate the president’s commitment to the city,” Mamdani said of Trump. “We’ve both spoken about very different approaches, very different beliefs, and I will continue to have conversations with the president, and frankly with anyone who can deliver relief to the people of this city.”
The pair of polarizing leaders first gathered in the Oval Office shortly after Mamdani’s election victory last year for a surprisingly cordial confab that centered on ways to help their shared hometown, a detente that came after months of verbal sparring.
A few months later in February, Mamdani again took a quick jaunt to Washington to present Trump with a mock New York Daily News front page that said “Trump to City: Let’s Build,” as he pitched new housing investments in the city.
As they did after their first Oval Office meeting, Trump and Mamdani acknowledged their political and policy differences while standing side by side on Monday.
Mamdani was asked about Trump’s decision to bar certain news outlets from the White House, with the mayor saying it was important that those networks, and others, be present for the Gracie Mansion event. Trump then defended his restrictions on the news organizations whose coverage he called biased.
“It’s interesting because they said they were gonna boycott me. But they never boycott me,” the president said, before adding, “I think that these outlets have an obligation to be fair.”
Trump’s previous visits to Gracie Mansion included attending the 2003 wedding of former mayor Rudy Giuliani and a 2007 book party for former Democratic US Rep. Charles Rangel.
After Trump left, Mamdani returned to the lawn to answer a few more questions, telling reporters that he and the president have sharp disagreements but that the relationship has endured nevertheless.