New York, MINA – Zohran Mamdani, recently elected as New York City’s next mayor, reiterated on Monday that the city will uphold International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The statement came hours after outgoing Mayor Eric Adams met with the Israeli leader and encouraged him to attend Mamdani’s upcoming inauguration. Mamdani criticized this meeting, stating it highlighted a disconnect between the city’s urgent concerns and symbolic foreign policy gestures.
“New Yorkers are desperate for an administration focused on the needs of the city,” Mamdani said during a live appearance on ABC7, adding that his predecessor’s actions had little to do with addressing the affordability crisis facing working-class New Yorkers.
Mamdani, who has repeatedly described Israel’s military operation in Gaza as genocide, affirmed his commitment to international law. “Being a city of international law means looking to uphold international law,” he stated. “That means upholding the warrants from the International Criminal Court, whether they’re for Benjamin Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin.”
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The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of using starvation as a method of warfare and committing crimes against humanity, including murder and persecution.
Despite his strong stance against the Israeli leader, Mamdani reaffirmed his commitment to protecting and supporting New York’s Jewish community. “It will be my responsibility that I will uphold to not only protect Jewish New Yorkers, but to celebrate and cherish them in the city,” he added.
Mamdani, 34, who won the November 4 mayoral election, is set to become the first Muslim and South Asian mayor of the nation’s largest city when he takes office on January 1.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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