NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani sparks outrage after calling Netanyahu a ‘war criminal’ who ‘belongs in the Hague’
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has provoked a backlash after describing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "war criminal" who "belongs in the Hague," according to reports. The remarks, attributed to Mamdani in his capacity as the city's mayor, have drawn strong criticism from those who view the comments as inflammatory and inappropriate for a sitting municipal leader to make about a foreign head of government.
Details of the specific context in which Mamdani made the remarks were not included in the available report. The reference to The Hague relates to the International Criminal Court, which has previously issued matters concerning Netanyahu in connection with the conflict in Gaza; Mamdani's comments appear to align with that characterisation, prompting swift condemnation from critics who argue the mayor overstepped the bounds of his office.
- Mamdani called Netanyahu a "war criminal" who belongs at The Hague
- Comments sparked significant backlash and criticism
- Row centres on a New York mayor commenting on a foreign leader
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Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist elected New York City's mayor in 2025, has been a vocal critic of Israel's conduct in Gaza and a supporter of Palestinian rights, positions that have made him a lightning rod since well before taking office. Netanyahu, Israel's long-serving prime minister, has led the country throughout the war in Gaza that began after the Hamas-led attacks of October 2023, a conflict that has caused a huge death toll and drawn accusations of war crimes from various quarters.
The International Criminal Court, based in The Hague in the Netherlands, is a body that can prosecute individuals for offences including war crimes; it issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in late 2024 over the conduct of the war, a move Israel and its allies have rejected as illegitimate. Mamdani's comments reflect this existing dispute rather than introducing a new claim.
The row matters because it highlights tensions between Mamdani and sections of New York's large Jewish community and pro-Israel political establishment, and raises broader questions about how far a city mayor's personal views on foreign policy and international law should extend into his public role.