NYC mayor says city is reviewing legal options to detain Netanyahu if he attends UNGA
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani said New York City is consulting its law department about whether it could arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the United Nations General Assembly, a claim dismissed by U.S. officials as beyond municipal authority.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said his administration is examining whether the city has legal authority to detain Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he travels to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. Mamdani told reporters that the city’s Law Department is in an "active conversation" about the issue and described the Israeli leader as a "war criminal" who "belongs in the Hague."
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz responded on social media, calling the mayor’s remarks "pure political theater" and noting that the United Nations Headquarters Agreement protects visiting heads of government, that head-of-state immunity applies, and that federal law supersedes any local action.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over alleged war crimes related to the Gaza conflict, a move Israel has rejected and which the United States does not recognize because it is not a party to the Rome Statute. The legal and diplomatic implications of the warrants remain a subject of debate as world leaders consider how to respond if the officials travel abroad.
Mamdani’s office has not provided a detailed legal analysis and did not immediately comment on further inquiries.