NYC Mayor says city lacks authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that New York City cannot enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu, urging federal authorities to act instead.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Tuesday that the municipality does not have the legal power to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the United States for the United Nations General Assembly. Mamdani explained that his administration examined all possible legal avenues under local law and concluded that the city lacks independent authority to enforce the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.
He urged the federal government to take action, referring to Netanyahu as a "war criminal" and the "architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people." Israeli UN ambassador Danny Danon responded on social media, accusing Mamdani of spreading false accusations and stating that the mayor was elected to serve New Yorkers, not to promote Hamas propaganda. President Donald Trump also posted that Netanyahu will not be arrested while in the United States.
The United States is not a party to the treaty that established the ICC and generally does not recognize its jurisdiction. The ICC prosecutor issued arrest warrants in May 2024 for Netanyahu, former defense minister Yoav Gallant and several Hamas officials, alleging war crimes related to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and Israel's subsequent military response in Gaza. Israeli officials have rejected the warrants, calling the ICC a biased political body.