Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to visit New York – despite incoming socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani threatening to arrest him if he were to step foot in the city.
Mr Mamdani, soon to be the city’s first Muslim Mayor, has repeatedly affirmed that he would honour the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for the Israeli leader over so-called war crimes.
However, Mr Netanyahu told the New York Times that he would visit the Big Apple – despite Mr Mamdani’s threats.
When the Israeli PM was asked whether he would put the warnings to the “test” and how it could unfold, Mr Netanyahu said: “well, why don’t you wait and see?”
Mr Netanyahu told the New York Times that he would visit the Big Apple despite Mr Mamdani’s threats
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REUTERSPrior to Mr Mamdani’s victory in the New York mayoral election, Mr Netanyahu said he was not “concerned” by the arrest warnings, adding that he would visit the city with President Donald Trump.
The Mayor-elect previously vowed to instruct officers from the New York Police Department to arrest the Israeli leader – or Vladimir Putin – at the airport should they ever visit the city.
Mr Mamdani said: “Being a city of international law means looking to uphold international law.
“And that means upholding the warrants from the International Criminal Court, whether they’re for Benjamin Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin.”
The Mayor-elect previously said he would instruct NYPD officers to arrest the Israeli leader at the airport
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GETTYWhether the socialist could successfully take the Israeli PM into custody has been the subject of debate among legal experts.
The US and Israel do not recognise the ICC and the Trump administration slapped sanctions on the court earlier this year, alleging it had “engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel”.
Pressed on whether he would meet with New York’s next Mayor, Mr Netanyahu said he would on the condition “he changes his mind and says that we have the right to exist.”
He jested: “That’ll be a good opening for a conversation.”
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Mr Netanyahu said he would visit the city with President Donald Trump
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Syracuse University’s College of Law professor Cora True-Frost said the Mayor-elect’s threats of arrest were “politically very significant”, but almost impossible to pull off.
The legal expert said: “Foreign affairs and policy are the exclusive power of the federal government, and this administration would almost certainly claim head of state immunity for Netanyahu.
“That the US is not a party to the ICC does not in itself preclude Americans from cooperating with the ICC, though this administration is hostile towards it and has sanctioned ICC staff.
“Were Netanyahu travelling to New York City to visit the United Nations, the Convention on Privileges and Immunities and the UN Headquarters Agreement which protect visiting diplomats from arrest would further constrain Mamdani’s ability to make good on this threat.”
Mr Mamdani frequently voiced his staunch opposition to the actions of the Israel government on the campaign trail
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Throughout his mayoral campaign, Mr Mamdani frequently voiced his staunch opposition to the actions of the Israeli Government.
The 34-year-old has backed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which snubs Israeli products, cultural and academic institutions alongside large corporations accused of violating the rights of Palestinians.
Although he has repeatedly said he supports Israel’s right to exist, he has voiced opposition to its right to exist as a Jewish state.
Mr Mamdani previously told Fox News: “I’m not comfortable supporting any state that has a hierarchy of citizenship on the basis of religion or anything else.”
