NYC Mayor Mamdani Says City Cannot Arrest Netanyahu, Urges Feds to Act

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Tuesday night that the city does not have the independent legal authority to execute the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — but called on the federal government to join the ICC and carry out the warrant itself.

Mayor Walks Back Arrest Threat, Maintains the Position on Netanyahu

In a video posted on X, Mamdani said his administration had reviewed all available legal avenues and reached a clear conclusion. “It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant,” he said. “The federal government however does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.”

Mamdani, who called Netanyahu a “war criminal” in the same statement, said the Israeli prime minister is “not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large.”

The Mamdani Netanyahu arrest ICC warrant New York dispute began earlier this month when Mamdani told the New York Times that he and the city’s legal department were discussing the possibility of arresting Netanyahu if he traveled to New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September — a stance Mamdani had maintained throughout his mayoral campaign last year.

Trump and Israel Push Back

President Donald Trump responded Monday on social media, addressing Netanyahu directly and writing that he “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America.” Trump’s post did not mention Mamdani by name.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon dismissed Mamdani’s position sharply. “You were elected to serve New Yorkers, not Hamas’ propaganda. Do your job!” Danon wrote in a social media statement.

ICC Warrant Background

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in 2024, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. ICC prosecutors alleged there was reason to believe Netanyahu and Gallant used “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid, and that they intentionally targeted civilians. Israeli officials have denied the charges.

The United States is not a member of the ICC, which limits the federal government’s formal obligations under the court’s framework — though Mamdani argued that the political will to enforce the warrant exists regardless of membership status.