Rania R.a. Abushamala
24 July 2026•Update: 24 July 2026
Democratic US Sen. John Fetterman criticized New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani over his remarks that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be arrested under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant if he visits the city.
According to The Hill on Wednesday, Fetterman called Mamdani a “clown” during an interview with Fox News, arguing that the mayor lacks the authority to order Netanyahu’s arrest.
“You’re a mayor. You can fix a pothole. You can take out the trash. But you can’t order people to arrest anybody any more than I could, or, you know, I could have him arrested if he goes to Pennsylvania,” Fetterman said. “This is a joke and he’s a clown.”
Fetterman accused Mamdani of pandering “to the fringe,” adding that the matter was outside the mayor’s jurisdiction.
Netanyahu is expected to travel to New York in September to attend the UN General Assembly, according to US media.
On Wednesday, Mamdani urged the US federal government to join the ICC and arrest Netanyahu.
“The United States government does have the ability to both joining the International Criminal Court and executing that warrant, and that is something that I want to see happen,” Mamdani told reporters.
He made the remarks after asking his administration to review all applicable laws regarding the ICC warrant.
Although his administration lacks the independent authority to enforce the warrant, Mamdani said he believed the federal government could facilitate Netanyahu’s arrest.
The ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Mamdani recently described Netanyahu as a "war criminal" and said the Israeli premier was not welcome in New York City.
He also said that, as an American, he believed the US bore responsibility for the casualties in Palestine because its citizens “pay for the bombs that do the killing.”
Mamdani’s call stands in direct contrast to the position of US President Donald Trump, who said Monday that Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form” while in the US.
