Netanyahu 'not afraid' to visit New York despite Mamdani's arrest vow

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to visit New York City even as he remains wanted by the International Criminal Court [ICC] for war crimes in Gaza, and despite mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's pledge to act on the warrant if he enters the city.

Netanyahu dismissed any threat of arrest in an interview on Thursday with pro-Israel Australian journalist Erin Molan, insisting he was "not afraid" of travelling to New York.

He used the interview to belittle Mamdani's political experience and activism, calling him "a young, uneducated leader" and attacking his Democratic Socialist views.

Mamdani's rise was powered by vocal advocacy for Palestinian rights and calls for accountability over Israel's genocide in Gaza.

Despite this, large numbers of Jewish New Yorkers supported Mamdani during his campaign, while one-third of the city's Jewish population backed him in the vote.

His grassroots campaign shocked New York's political establishment, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo in the primary and drawing support from communities, demanding an end to impunity for state violence.

Throughout his campaign, Mamdani argued that New York should not welcome foreign officials accused of mass atrocities, saying his administration would seek to comply with international laws and act on the ICC warrant if Netanyahu entered the city.

The ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, alleging responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity during Israel's military campaign in Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians were killed and entire districts destroyed.

The charges include using starvation as a method of warfare, persecution and other inhumane acts. Israel rejects the allegations.

Although Mamdani vowed to enforce the ICC warrant, the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute and is under no legal obligation to carry out ICC arrests.

Mamdani has acknowledged these limits, stating that he would "operate within the bounds of the law" while refusing to normalise visits by individuals accused of grave international crimes.

The constraints on the ICC's reach in the US have only widened since the election of Israel's ally Donald Trump, whose administration had imposed sweeping sanctions on the court in early 2025, targeting judges, prosecutors and staff in response to investigations into alleged war crimes by American and Israeli officials.

Human rights organisations denounced the sanctions as an attempt to obstruct justice.

Amnesty International described them as "reckless" and "vindictive", warning that they had signalled that "Israel is above the law".

Human Rights Watch said the measures were designed to intimidate ICC staff and undermine investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity.