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London Mayor vows to arrest Netanyahu after Mamdani admits he can’t

Mamdani acknowledged he lacked the legal authority to order Netanyahu’s arrest during the upcoming U.N. General Assembly in New York.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he would seek to have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested if he visits the United Kingdom, becoming the latest high-profile mayor to publicly support enforcing the International Criminal Court warrant issued against the Israeli leader.

Speaking to Channel 4 News, Khan said “anyone accused of genocide must face justice” and that he would work with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham to “enforce the law” if Netanyahu arrives in London.

Asked what he would do if the Israeli prime minister traveled to the UK, Khan added: “People who commit genocide are not welcome in London.”

Khan’s remarks came days after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani revisited a campaign pledge to arrest Netanyahu if he traveled to New York.

Last week, Mamdani said he would explore legal avenues to determine whether there was a way to arrest Netanyahu.

He later acknowledged he lacked the legal authority to order Netanyahu’s arrest during the upcoming U.N. General Assembly after facing legal scrutiny.

Although he backed away from directing the New York Police Department to make an arrest, Mamdani continued to describe Netanyahu as a “war criminal” and called on federal authorities to execute the International Criminal Court warrant.

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The ICC issued arrest warrants in 2024 for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

President Donald Trump has rejected the possibility of Netanyahu being arrested while visiting the United States.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America. He is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors, and has spent the last 47 years killing American Soldiers, and others.”

Trump also criticized Iran’s leadership, writing, “The only ones that should be arrested are the people that led Iran into this unprecedented SPIRAL OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION, something that should have been dealt with years ago, by previous Presidents!”