GERMANY PERSPECTIVE

Berlin, July 20, 2026. The German press is closely following the controversy sparked by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who announced on Saturday that he wants to explore the possibility of having Benjamin Netanyahu arrested if he attends the UN General Assembly in September. "I think Prime Minister Netanyahu should go to The Hague," Mamdani told The New York Times, referring to the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant for war crimes in Gaza, which has been in effect since November. Mamdani described the Israeli leader as a "war criminal." However, the mayor acknowledged that he is not certain whether he has the authority to order the New York police to arrest a foreign head of government, stating that he will consult with his legal advisors: "Whatever the law allows me to do in New York, we will do."

Netanyahu's office responded on Sunday on X with harsh words, accusing Mamdani of trying to divert attention from "his own failures" and comparing him to Karim Khan, the suspended ICC prosecutor. According to this statement, the mayor would be better off "fixing the damage that his policies have caused in New York." Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon judged that Mamdani, instead of focusing on his municipal duties and the wave of anti-Semitism in his city, chose to fuel tensions by targeting the State of Israel.

For Germany, a historic signatory to the Rome Statute, this episode is part of a broader context of challenging the ICC's authority. The German government is aware that the US, through Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has recently threatened to dismantle the court "brick by brick," citing visa restrictions for its personnel and increased sanctions, while monitoring countries that refuse to reject what the US administration calls "illegitimate" authority. Legal experts cited by Deutsche Welle believe that this escalation marks a turning point compared to past tensions between the US and The Hague. Berlin, which has defended international jurisdiction for decades while maintaining a special relationship with Israel due to its historical responsibility, is observing this showdown without taking a public stance, aware that the issue goes beyond the Mamdani-Netanyahu case.