Netanyahu will be arrested if he comes to New York: Mamdani

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has once again affirmed his pledge that he will enforce the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he enters New York City, a stance he first issued months before winning office.

He repeated the pledge on Monday (17 November), hours after outgoing Mayor Eric Adams met Netanyahu abroad and encouraged him to attend Mamdani's inauguration. The contrast, Mamdani later said, underscored the disconnect between the city's urgent crises and symbolic foreign policy gestures.

Speaking in a live appearance on ABC7, Mamdani criticised Adams' outreach to Netanyahu, arguing that the outgoing mayor has neglected the pressure facing ordinary New Yorkers.

"New Yorkers are on the brink of being priced out of the city that they call home, and his actions have little to do with that affordability crisis," Mamdani said. "What they show, in fact, is why New Yorkers are so desperate for a new administration, one that will focus on the needs of the city and will look to speak to working-class New Yorkers as to what those needs are, as opposed to war criminals."

Adams' meeting widens political contrast

Mamdani has repeatedly condemned Israel's military operation in Gaza as an act of genocide. He said the city must uphold international law by respecting the ICC warrants issued last November, which accused Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant of using starvation as a method of warfare and committing crimes against humanity, including murder and persecution.

"Being a city of international law means looking to uphold international law," Mamdani said. "That means upholding the warrants from the International Criminal Court, whether they're for Benjamin Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin."

He also added that New Yorkers expect consistency from elected leaders in how they speak about global values.

"We are a global city, but what New Yorkers are looking for is consistency in the way we talk about our values and follow through with them," he said. "That's why these warrants from the International Criminal Court are worth fully exploring, every legal possibility actually to follow through on."

Earlier, Mamdani told Fox News that he would arrest Netanyahu 'if legally permitted', stressing he would not seek to create new laws to do so.

"Unlike Donald Trump, I'm someone who looks to exist within the confines of the laws that we have," he said.

Mamdani pledges protection for Jewish New Yorkers

Despite criticism from some corners of the city, Mamdani insisted he remains committed to protecting and supporting Jewish New Yorkers.

"It will be my responsibility that I will uphold to not only protect Jewish New Yorkers, but to celebrate and cherish them in the city," he said.

Eric Adams, who met Netanyahu during a visit that he has since extended to Uzbekistan, will leave office on 1 January following Mamdani's decisive victory in the 4 November mayoral election.

34-year-old Mamdani will be the first Muslim and South Asian mayor of the United States' largest city, New York.