Mamdani Calls on U.S. to Arrest Netanyahu if He Visits This Year
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Tuesday that he does not have the authority to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu, but urged U.S.
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Tuesday that he does not have the authority to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu, but urged U.S. federal authorities to do so if the Israeli prime minister comes to the United States later this year.
The comments sharpen a political fight that stretches beyond City Hall. Mamdani said his administration had examined every legal option available to see whether New York City could enforce the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu. It could not. The federal government, he said, still can.
Mamdani says the city cannot act
In a video posted to social media, Mamdani framed the issue in blunt terms. “Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people,” he said.
He added that he believes the ICC warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest over alleged war crimes is justified. But he drew a hard line on the limits of local power. “My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the international criminal court’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here,” Mamdani said. “It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant.”
That distinction matters. New York is a major global city and a frequent stop for international leaders, but Mamdani’s comments made clear that city government cannot unilaterally carry out an ICC warrant. The issue now shifts to Washington, where federal authorities would decide whether to act if Netanyahu travels to the U.S.
Pressure moves to Washington
Mamdani directly pressed the federal government to step in. “The federal government, however, does – and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant,” the mayor said.
The statement places the White House and federal law enforcement in the center of a dispute that has already carried enormous diplomatic weight. If Netanyahu travels to the United States later this year, Mamdani’s call would test whether federal authorities are willing to align themselves with the ICC warrant or leave enforcement untouched.
For now, the mayor has made his position plain. The city will not act on its own, even if he says the legal and moral case is clear in his view. And he has put the next move squarely in federal hands.
“The federal government, however, does,” Mamdani said, before urging Washington to “join the ICC and execute this warrant.”
