Mamdani Retreats From Call to Arrest Netanyahu
NEW YORK_New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Tuesday that the city lacks the legal authority to enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reversing earlier suggestions that municipal authorities could seek to detain him if he visits New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September. Mamdani instead urged the U.S. federal government to join the ICC and carry out the warrant.
In a video posted on X, Mamdani described Netanyahu as a “war criminal” and said the Israeli leader was not welcome in New York City. He said his administration had reviewed the legal options available to the city and concluded that municipal authorities do not possess independent authority to execute the ICC warrant.
“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant,” Mamdani said in the video. He added that the federal government does have such authority and called on Washington to join the ICC and execute the warrant.
The statement marked a shift from comments Mamdani made earlier this month to the New York Times, when he said he and the city’s legal department were discussing whether New York City could arrest Netanyahu should the Israeli leader attend the annual U.N. General Assembly in September.
The issue has drawn national political attention. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Netanyahu would not be arrested while in the United States. Writing on social media, Trump said the Israeli prime minister “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America.” His post did not directly mention Mamdani.
During his successful campaign for mayor last year, Mamdani repeatedly said he would seek to direct New York City’s police to arrest Netanyahu under the ICC warrant over allegations linked to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
In Tuesday’s video, however, Mamdani said the city’s legal review found that such action could not be carried out under municipal authority. Even so, he reiterated his criticism of the Israeli leader, saying Netanyahu was not welcome in New York City and extending that position to what he described as any war criminal at large.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, rejected Mamdani’s remarks. In a statement posted on social media, Danon told the mayor to focus on governing the city rather than repeating what he described as Hamas propaganda. He said Mamdani had been elected to serve New Yorkers and urged him to do his job.
The legal and political dispute stems from arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court in 2024 against Netanyahu and others in connection with the war in Gaza. According to the court, there were reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant committed crimes against humanity during the conflict.
The ICC said the allegations include using starvation as a method of warfare by restricting humanitarian assistance and intentionally directing attacks against civilians during Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. Israeli officials have denied the accusations.
The United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court. Mamdani nevertheless called on the federal government to become a party to the court and enforce the warrant, while acknowledging that New York City itself lacks the authority to do so.
The developments come ahead of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations in New York, where Netanyahu has been mentioned as a potential participant. Mamdani’s latest comments clarify the city’s legal position while leaving broader questions over any federal response to the ICC warrant unresolved.
