The New York Times reported on the 18th that New York City Mayor Mandani stated that the New York City government is assessing its legal authority to determine whether Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu can be arrested if he travels to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly in September.
Mandani said The Hague is where Prime Minister Netanyahu should be. He called Netanyahu a “war criminal accused by the International Criminal Court” and said many people hold this view not just based on personal opinion, but because of the consequences of his actions over the years.
In 2024, the International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, Netherlands, issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in connection with Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip, accusing him of crimes against humanity and war crimes.
According to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, once the International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant, the contracting states have a legal obligation to execute it and should carry out the arrest when the person enters their territory. However, the United States is not a contracting state to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and has never recognized the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
In recent years, the United States has repeatedly announced sanctions against judges and prosecutors of the International Criminal Court (ICC), citing the ICC’s investigation of U.S. personnel and the issuance of arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and former defense minister.
