US: New York City mayor calls Netanyahu 'war criminal,' urges US to enforce ICC arrest warrant.

SHOTLIST: NEW YORK CITY, US (JULY 21, 2026) (USERS MUST CREDIT “NYC MAYOR’S OFFICE” HANDOUT – FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) 1. (SOUNDBITE) NEW YORK CITY MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI SAYING: "Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal. The architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people. He is responsible for the killing of more than 73,000 people, for the maiming of tens of thousands of children. As those who survive undergo amputation without anesthesia for the targeting of neonatal hospitals and maternity care centers, denying newborns even the chance to live. For the countless people, he starved as he blocked food and humanitarian aid from reaching them. For the gunning down of hundreds of aid workers and journalists. And just last month, the UN confirmed that Palestinian children continue to be deliberately targeted and killed by Israeli armed forces. More than eight months after the so-called cease fire, the list goes on and on, all as we as Americans pay for the bombs that do the killing. There is a reason the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest. As human beings, we have spent generations building a shared understanding that there are crimes so grave they offend all of humanity. Anyone with their eyes, with their heart, with their conscience, should recognize the devastation he has wrought and understand that he belongs before a court of law. As I've said, I agree with the ICC. The Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes, as I do for anyone else charged by the ICC. My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Courts arrest warrant. If Benjamin Netanyahu came here, it is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant. And I want to be equally clear, Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City. Nor is any other war criminal at large. While we cannot end the genocide on our own, we can decide whether our silence will become another weapon, and we can examine every tool we have to defend the humanity and dignity of all people. That is my commitment to you."NEW YORK CITY, US - JULY 21: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "war criminal" and urged the US government to enforce an arrest warrant against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) if he enters the US. "Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people," Mamdani said in a video message Tuesday posted on the US social media platform X. He accused Netanyahu of being responsible for the killing of more than 73,000 people, targeting hospitals, and blocking food and humanitarian aid from reaching people in need in the Gaza Strip. Mamdani said that the US bears responsibility because, he said, “we, as Americans, pay for the bombs that do the killing.” "There is a reason the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest," he said. "Anyone with their eyes, with their heart, with their conscience, should recognize the devastation he has wrought and understand that he belongs before a court of law." - 'Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City' Mamdani said his administration does not have the independent legal authority to enforce the warrant. "The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant. And I want to be equally clear: Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large," he stressed. He added that while New York City cannot end the conflict, it can choose how to respond. "While we cannot end the genocide on our own, we can decide whether our silence will become another weapon," he said. "We can examine every tool we have to defend the humanity and dignity of all people." US President Donald Trump said Monday that Netanyahu "will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America." The ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.