Mamdani Reaffirms Call for US to Join ICC and Enforce Netanyahu Arrest Warrant

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a podcast interview aired Thursday, October 1, 2026, that the United States should join the International Criminal Court and enforce its warrants "for everyone," restating his position that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should face arrest over the court's November 2024 warrant, according to the New York Post. Speaking on comedian Theo Von's program "This Past Weekend," Mamdani called Netanyahu "the architect of a horrific genocide" and said, "I believe that the US government should join the ICC. It should enforce its warrants for everyone." The ICC issued warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over alleged crimes in Gaza and across Palestine from October 2023 through May 2024; the court has 124 member states, and neither the United States nor Israel is a member or recognizes its jurisdiction. Mamdani, who during his mayoral campaign vowed to have Netanyahu arrested if he entered New York, acknowledged in July 2026 that he had reviewed potential legal avenues and found none, conceding he has no power to enforce the warrant. The interview drew wide attention days after Netanyahu addressed the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, where he attacked the mayor directly.

What happened

The remarks came during a long-form conversation with Theo Von that aired Thursday. Mamdani was asked about his past pledge to arrest Netanyahu, and he reaffirmed his view of the prime minister's conduct while conceding the limits of his office. "If I was the architect of a genocide, I would probably talk about anything but that," he said, per the New York Post.

Mamdani also used the interview to defend his socialist ideology and his administration's economic agenda. "Dignity is about the things that allow you to take a breath, housing, child care, public transit," he said, adding that no one should be priced out of those things. He pointed to his plan for five city-run grocery stores selling food at lower prices as an example of that approach.

The mayor further addressed criticism of his stance on Israel, arguing that criticism of the Israeli government "does not translate to antisemitism." He cited what he described as the killing of an 11-year-old Palestinian boy by Israeli forces in Gaza just last week, in an area he said was considered a safe zone. Israeli officials have consistently rejected allegations that its conduct in Gaza constitutes genocide, and the United States government has not endorsed the ICC warrant.

Netanyahu was in New York in September 2026 for the 81st UN General Assembly, where he attacked Mamdani in his speech, claiming that "Jews no longer feel safe" in the city under the mayor, and criticized the mayor's wife, Rama Duwaji, for liking anti-Israel social media posts. Mamdani called those attacks "an attempt to distract from responsibility."

Why it matters

The exchange highlights a continuing collision between a city government and a foreign policy question that sits far outside municipal authority. Mamdani's call for the United States to join the ICC would mark a reversal of long-standing US policy: Washington has never joined the court, and US officials, including members of the Biden administration and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), criticized the warrant against Netanyahu at the time as "shameful," "unserious," and "troubling." Any US accession would require action by Congress and the president, none of which is currently contemplated by either party's leadership.

The episode also illustrates the political fault lines within the Democratic coalition and between City Hall and Washington. Mamdani, elected on a democratic socialist platform, has made the Gaza war a recurring theme of his public commentary, while party leaders in Congress have aligned with successive administrations in rejecting the ICC's jurisdiction over Israeli officials. His acknowledgment in July 2026 that no legal avenue exists for a New York mayor to execute an international arrest warrant has not ended the political fight over the pledge, which Netanyahu himself elevated to the UN stage.

For readers tracking city governance, the interview also served as a platform for Mamdani's domestic agenda, including the city-run grocery store plan, framing his foreign policy commentary and his economic program as parts of a single political identity.

How it is being covered

According to ground.news, 14 outlets are carrying the story, with a strongly right-leaning split of 9 percent left, 18 percent centre, and 73 percent right among rated coverage. Only 3 of 11 rated sources meet a high factuality standard, and ground.news flags a blindspot on the left, where just 9 percent of rated coverage originates, a skew of minus 64. The Daily Post Nigeria is among international outlets carrying the remarks, indicating the story has traveled beyond US borders.

What to watch

Watch for reaction from congressional Democrats and the White House to Mamdani's call for US accession to the ICC, which puts him at odds with his own party's leadership. Watch also for any response from the Israeli government or from Netanyahu's delegation, and for whether the mayor's grocery store plan and other domestic proposals receive renewed attention as a result of the interview's reach. Any future visit by Netanyahu to New York will test whether the political dispute resurfaces in practical terms, given Mamdani's conceded lack of enforcement power.

By the numbers

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