New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani admitted Tuesday evening that the city does not possess the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite his earlier pronouncements. In a video statement, Mamdani referred to Netanyahu as a 'war criminal' and called on the federal government to consider arresting the Israeli leader based on an outstanding International Criminal Court warrant.
'It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant,' Mamdani stated. 'The federal government, however, does.' He added that Netanyahu is 'not welcome in New York City,' nor is any other 'war criminal at large.'
Mamdani's comments follow previous statements where he expressed a desire to detain Netanyahu, acknowledging potential legal difficulties. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant in 2024 for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of committing crimes against humanity during the war in Gaza.
Legal and Political Reactions
Mamdani's apparent shift has drawn criticism from some political figures. Republican New York City Council member Inna Vernikov questioned Mamdani's approach, asking why his legal team had not evaluated the possibility before making it a campaign promise. Conservative commentator Stephen Miller criticized the mayor's statement as another broken campaign promise.
CNN legal analyst Elie Honig had previously criticized Mamdani's suggestions that an arrest was feasible. Honig stated on CNN that it was 'utterly ridiculous for the mayor of New York City to even suggest that he might have the authority to order the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu or any visiting foreign head of state.'
Legal experts and others have pointed out that the United States does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC, rendering an ICC warrant without legal effect within the U.S. International diplomacy is typically handled by the federal government, not local city governments.
Mamdani addressed some of the criticisms during an unrelated press conference, saying, 'I have made clear both that I believe that this is an arrest warrant that should be executed and also that I would follow the laws that we had.'
Potential Encounters in the U.S.
Netanyahu is expected to travel to Washington D.C. next week for the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham and is scheduled to attend the UN General Assembly in New York in September. Mamdani's office did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
Earlier this week, former President Donald Trump defended Netanyahu on Truth Social, stating that the Israeli Prime Minister would not be arrested in the United States. Senator Tim Scott also responded to Mamdani's video, calling the labeling of Netanyahu as a war criminal 'utterly ridiculous.'
Mamdani's international affairs chief was also reportedly involved in an incident earlier this month when an attempt to meet with Iran's ambassador to the UN led to a rebuke from the State Department.