New York’s socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani is investigating whether he has the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he visit the city for the UN General Assembly in September.Mr Mamdani, the first Muslim to serve as New York mayor, pledged during his campaign to honour the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for the Israeli leader over alleged war crimes committed during the Gaza conflict.”I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mr Mamdani said in an interview with the New York Times on Saturday. “He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court.”The mayor confirmed he is in discussions with city lawyers over whether he has the legal power to act.Mr Netanyahu hit back this week, accusing Mr Mamdani of harbouring anti-American views and supporting terrorist organisations.Speaking to New York radio host Sid Rosenberg, the Israeli Prime Minister suggested the mayor should reconsider his allegiances.”I think he should look at who he’s condemning, who he’s praising. He’s condemning Israel, the one democracy that stands shoulder to shoulder with American values,” Mr Netanyahu declared.The NYC Mayor confirmed he is in discussions with city lawyers over whether he has the legal power to act | GETTYThe Prime Minister went further, claiming the mayor champions Hamas, which “calls openly to massacre every Jew on earth” and perpetrated “the worst massacre on Jews since the Holocaust” on October 7.”And in fact, I think secretly, he hates America,” Mr Netanyahu added.Mr Mamdani has not expressed support for Hamas and has condemned the October 2023 attacks.Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, also launched a scathing attack on the mayor on Saturday.
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The Israeli Prime Minister accused Mr Mamdani of ‘secretly’ hating America | REUTERSMr Danon accused Mr Mamdani of neglecting his duties while provoking controversy through his criticism of Israel.”And if anyone should be arrested, it is NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani,” the ambassador wrote in a post on social media.The senior diplomat claimed the mayor was “failing to govern New York” by focusing on attacking Israel instead of serving the city’s residents.Mr Mamdani has made his condemnation of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which he has described as genocide, a central part of his political platform.Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, also launched a scathing attack on the mayor on Saturday | GETTYThe stance helped propel the left-wing politician into the national spotlight during last year’s mayoral campaign.However, any attempt to arrest Mr Netanyahu would face significant legal obstacles, not least because the US does not recognise the jurisdiction of the ICC.President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the court in February last year, declaring it had “engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel”.Mr Mamdani has also acknowledged uncertainty over whether he has the authority to direct the New York Police Department to arrest a foreign head of government.”Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that’s what we will do, but we won’t be writing our own laws to that end,” the mayor said.Any attempt to carry out his pledge could also put him on a collision course with the Trump administration, despite the pair having maintained surprisingly cordial relations.