New York City Mayor Admits He Lacks Authority to Arrest Benjamin Netanyahu
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has acknowledged that he has no legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should the leader visit his city, a statement that runs counter to a promise made during his campaign.
In a video posted on social media, Mamdani confirmed that after his team reviewed all available legal avenues, the city government has no independent legal basis to execute the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“However, the federal government does. And I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant,” Mamdani said.
Mamdani stressed that Netanyahu remains “unwelcome” in New York City, which the Israeli Prime Minister is scheduled to visit in September to attend the UN General Assembly.
Technically, Netanyahu could be arrested if he sets foot in an ICC member state. However, the United States is not a member of the international judicial body.
President Donald Trump asserted that Netanyahu will not be arrested in any form whilst on US soil. Trump made the statement via Truth Social in response to Mamdani’s interview with the New York Times, in which the mayor claimed to be in active discussions with law enforcement regarding the execution of the ICC warrant.
“He is fighting the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent demonstrators, and has spent the last 47 years killing American soldiers, and others,” Trump wrote.
During his campaign, Mamdani repeatedly referred to Netanyahu as a war criminal and described the conflict in Gaza as a genocide. He even pledged to order the police to arrest Netanyahu upon his arrival in New York, in deference to the ICC’s decision issued in 2024.
Mamdani’s moves and rhetoric have drawn fierce criticism from Israel. Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, delivered a scathing response to the New York mayor’s remarks.
“You were elected to serve the people of New York, not Hamas propaganda,” Danon said.
Mamdani’s political stance has emerged amid a shift in support among Democratic Party voters towards Israel. Recent polls show that 58% of Democratic voters believe the US is too supportive of Israel, up from 45% in 2024. (BBC/Z-2)