New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has doubled down on his demand that the United States join the International Criminal Court and arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mamdani, who took office earlier this year, made the remarks during a Thursday episode of comedian Theo Von’s podcast “This Past Weekend.” The socialist mayor left no ambiguity about his position on the Israeli leader, whom he has repeatedly accused of overseeing atrocities in Gaza.
“I believe that the US government should join the ICC. It should enforce its warrants for everyone,” Mamdani told Von.
He later sharpened his attack with even more forceful language.
“When you ask about the prime minister, we’re talking about the architect of a horrific genocide,” Mamdani continued.
The mayor’s comments come months after he acknowledged this summer that he lacks any legal authority to enforce a 2024 ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu for alleged war crimes. The international court counts 124 member states but neither Israel nor the United States recognizes its jurisdiction. US officials across the political spectrum, including members of the Biden administration and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), previously condemned the ICC warrant against Netanyahu as “shameful,” “unserious,” and “troubling.”
During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani had vowed to have Netanyahu arrested if the Israeli leader ever visited New York. He backed away from that pledge in July after reviewing potential legal avenues and determining none existed. Still, his theoretical position remains absolute.
“If I had my say, the US government would have joined the ICC and honored every single warrant that they’ve issued,” Mamdani declared.
Von, the stand-up comedian host, responded enthusiastically to the mayor’s stance.
“F–k yeah,” Von said.
The podcast exchange marks the latest escalation in an increasingly personal feud between Mamdani and Netanyahu. Last month, the Israeli prime minister traveled to New York City for the United Nations General Assembly and used his platform to tear into the mayor directly. Netanyahu claimed that “Jews no longer feel safe” in the city under Mamdani’s leadership and attacked the mayor for accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. The prime minister also went after Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, for liking anti-Israel social media posts.
Mamdani dismissed Netanyahu’s UN speech as a calculated diversion.
“I was having a meeting with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands at the LGBTQ center in downtown Manhattan … and then I get back from that meeting, and it’s like, ‘Oh, by the way, here’s what he was saying at the UN,'” Mamdani recounted.
He argued the broadside was designed to shift attention away from more serious matters.
“All of this is an attempt to distract from responsibility,” Mamdani said.
The mayor then offered a blunt assessment of what he would do in Netanyahu’s position.
“If I was the architect of a genocide, I would probably talk about anything but that,” he added.
Mamdani’s latest remarks arrive as progressive Democrats continue pressing for greater US accountability toward Israeli military conduct in Gaza. The mayor has emerged as one of the most vocal elected officials in that push, using his national platform to challenge both the Biden administration’s stance on the ICC and the traditional pro-Israel positioning of New York City politicians.
Netanyahu has not publicly responded to the podcast interview, though his previous UN address demonstrated his willingness to engage the mayor directly on the world stage. The prime minister’s September appearance in New York proceeded without incident despite Mamdani’s earlier arrest threats, which had been defanged by legal review before the visit.
Mamdani’s appearance on “This Past Weekend” continues his pattern of using unconventional media platforms to amplify his political message, reaching audiences outside traditional news consumption.