New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Tuesday that he does not have the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but urged the US federal government to enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant against him. In a video posted on social media, Mamdani called Netanyahu a war criminal and said the ICC warrant was justified. He stated that his administration had reviewed all legal options and concluded that New York City could not independently execute the warrant. The mayor called on the federal government to join the ICC and carry out the arrest.
The statement came hours after US President Donald Trump said Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America.” Netanyahu is expected to travel to New York in September for the United Nations General Assembly.
The ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the conflict in Gaza. Both the US and Israel are not signatories to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. The court has no enforcement powers, and member states are legally obliged to arrest suspects but often lack the means to do so.
Mamdani’s comments have drawn reactions from activists, some of whom urged him to take other steps, such as cutting city support for organizations funding Israeli settlements. However, the mayor reiterated that his office lacks the power to detain a foreign leader.