A new video was posted to the New York City, New York, mayor’s personal X profile that features him speaking to the camera about war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu. In the video, Mayor Zohran Mamdani rescinds his original campaign promise to arrest him should he come through the city.
Comments were diversely split, with a majority acknowledging Netanyahu’s status as a war criminal, arguing that he should be arrested if he were to visit the country. However, the video appears to imply otherwise.
The video above features Mayor Zohran Mamdani looking into the camera and speaking about Benjamin Netanyahu and his behavior against the Palestinian people. The war criminal was originally brought up by Mamdani during his campaign, promising to arrest him should he ever arrive in the city.
However, as he continues speaking, it becomes clear that this is something that he is unable to do. He explains, “My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here.“
After this, he describes how it’s become clear that his administration does not have the independent legal authority to enforce the warrant. He does not make it clear when exactly this information was presented to him.
The promise to detain the war criminal dates back to Mamdani’s 2025 mayoral campaign. At one point, he announced that he would direct the New York Police Department to enforce the ICC’s warrant.
Comments and Reactions to New York City Mayor’s Announcement
The overwhelming majority of commenters expressed strong opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu. Many argued that anyone who recognizes the ICC’s warrant should be permitted to arrest him or refuse him services that could potentially protect him.
Other comments argue that it goes beyond the man being a war criminal, focusing on what he represents within Judaism. One person wrote, “Benjamin Netanyahu is no Jewish leader, nor does he represent Jews or Judaism. It is an insult to Jews all across the globe to associate a foreign political entity with our sacred faith. We need to stop Zionists from politicizing antisemitism in order to fight it.”
Some supporters of Mamdani showed their agreement in the comments, with Benjamin P Dixon writing, “Stand tall, brother. You’re on the right side of the arc of the moral universe!“
As the video continues to spread online, more and more people are leaving their opinions and frustrations behind in the comments below.
