New York City Mayor Admits He Lacks Authority to Arrest Benjamin Netanyahu
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has now acknowledged that he does not have the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should the leader visit his city. The statement contradicts a campaign promise he had previously made. Through a video post on social media, Mamdani confirmed that after his team reviewed all available legal avenues, the city government lacks independent legality to execute an arrest warrant from 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, where the Israeli Prime Minister plans to visit in September to attend the United Nations 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 would not be arrested in any form while in the US. Trump’s statement was made via Truth Social in response to Mamdani’s interview with the New York Times, in which the mayor had claimed to be in active discussions with law enforcement regarding the execution of the ICC warrant. During his campaign, Mamdani repeatedly called Netanyahu a war criminal and described the conflict in Gaza as genocide. He even pledged to order the police to arrest Netanyahu if he arrived in New York, in order to honour the ICC decision issued in 2024. Mamdani’s actions and rhetoric drew sharp criticism from Israel. Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, delivered a stinging response to the New York Mayor’s statements. “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 Democratic voter support for Israel. Recent polls show 58% of Democratic voters believe the US is too supportive of Israel, up from 45% in 2024.