Mamdani says he won't try to arrest Israel's Netanyahu

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani conceded precocious Tuesday that the metropolis does not person the authorization to apprehension Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mamdani had vowed during his mayoral run past year that if Netanyahu visited New York City, his medication would enforce an International Criminal Court apprehension warrant accusing the Israeli person of committing warfare crimes during Israel's warfare against Hamas successful the Gaza Strip. Mamdani did not backmost down successful caller days, saying the metropolis would "follow each applicable section laws" if Netanyahu visited for the United Nations General Assembly this fall.

But successful a Tuesday evening societal media video, Mamdani said the metropolis had concluded it could not question the Israeli premier minister's arrest.

"My medication has reviewed each avenue disposable nether applicable instrumentality to find whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court's apprehension warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here," Mamdani said. "It is wide that we bash not person the autarkic ineligible authorization to enforce this warrant."

Mamdani called connected the national authorities to apprehension Netanyahu instead, calling him a "war criminal" and the "architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people."

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon condemned the video, writing connected societal media: "Zohran Mamdani, ENOUGH. Enough with the humor libels."

"You were elected to service New Yorkers, not Hamas' propaganda," helium wrote.

President Trump wrote Monday connected Truth Social that Netanyahu "will not beryllium arrested, successful immoderate way, shape, oregon form, portion successful the United States of America."

CBS News has reached retired to Netanyahu's bureau and the White House for comment.

The United States is not a enactment to the planetary pact that created the International Criminal Court, and mostly does not admit its authority.

A authoritative for the ICC applied for apprehension warrants against Netanyahu, erstwhile Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and respective Hamas officials successful May 2024, pursuing an probe into some Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, panic onslaught connected Israel and the Israeli military's effect successful Gaza. About 1,200 radical successful Israel were killed successful the Oct. 7 onslaught and 250 others were taken hostage, portion implicit 73,000 Palestinians person been killed successful Gaza, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says.

Judges for the tribunal issued apprehension warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant aboriginal successful 2024, uncovering "reasonable grounds" to judge that the 2 Israeli officials deprived the civilian population of food, medicine and different humanitarian aid. Former Hamas commandant Mohammed Deif, who was killed successful an Israeli airstrike, was besides accused of crimes against humanity.

Israel has powerfully condemned the warrants, with Netanyahu's bureau saying successful 2024 it "rejects with disgust the absurd and mendacious actions and charges against it by the International Criminal Court, which is simply a biased and discriminatory governmental body."

The Israeli authorities has agelong defended its behaviour successful the Gaza Strip, arguing it has tried to support civilians during its aggravated aerial and crushed operations and blaming Hamas for operating successful densely populated areas. Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire past fall, though immoderate operations person continued, and the Gaza Health Ministry has said much than 1,000 radical person died during the ceasefire.

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