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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reversed course Tuesday, admitting the city does not have the legal power to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite pledging during his mayoral campaign to do so. Mamdani called on the federal government to enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant should Netanyahu travel to New York.
In a video message posted to social media, Mamdani characterized Netanyahu as a “war criminal” while acknowledging that municipal authorities cannot independently execute ICC warrants. The mayor stated his administration had exhausted all legal avenues to determine whether New York City could enforce the warrant on its own, concluding it lacked such independent authority.
Mamdani said the federal government possesses the necessary legal power to enforce the ICC warrant and urged federal officials to execute it. He reinforced that Netanyahu would not be welcome in the city, declaring that no war criminals at large should receive hospitality there.
The statement marked a significant retreat from Mamdani’s 2025 campaign assertion that New York would apprehend Netanyahu if he visited. His comments followed a disclosure two days earlier that the city’s Law Department was reviewing whether New York possessed legal authority to make such an arrest.
Netanyahu’s office dismissed the remarks, characterizing the ICC as a “kangaroo court” lacking jurisdiction over Americans and Israelis. The office countered that Mamdani should focus on addressing damage caused by his policies rather than pursuing Netanyahu.
The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024, citing alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity connected to Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Netanyahu is scheduled to visit New York in September to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
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