New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani conceded Wednesday that the city does not possess the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite having previously campaigned on such a promise. Mamdani stated that his administration reviewed the applicable laws and determined that only the federal government can execute an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.
"It’s clear that the city does not have the authority to execute this warrant," Mamdani said at a news conference. He urged the U.S. federal government to act on the ICC warrant, even though the United States is not a member of the ICC and does not recognize its jurisdiction within the U.S. or over Israel, neither of which are members of the court.
Mamdani acknowledged that Palestinian New Yorkers might be disappointed by this development, stating that Netanyahu would no longer be welcomed at City Hall. "I want to make it very clear that that welcome ends with me," Mamdani said. "I will not be welcoming Benjamin Netanyahu or any other war criminals when they come to this city."
When pressed on why the legal question was not resolved before he took office, given that experts had raised concerns about his arrest pledge during the campaign, Mamdani declined to provide a date for when his administration informed him of the city's lack of power. "They made it clear that this is not possible through applicable law," he stated.
Mamdani described the October 7th Hamas attack as a "horrific war crime" and stated he opposes such actions with "every single fiber of our being." He advocated for the "universality of humanity," arguing that officials should not "pick and choose which crimes against humanity we oppose." Mamdani also indicated support for honoring ICC warrants against Hamas leaders, not just Netanyahu.
He accused Netanyahu of orchestrating what he called a "genocide" in Gaza and referred to the Israeli prime minister as a "war criminal." Israel has consistently rejected genocide allegations and deemed the ICC case illegitimate. Mamdani added that he remains committed to protecting Jewish New Yorkers and ensuring their safety in the city, regardless of their views on the conflict.