INTERNATIONAL – New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has acknowledged that the city does not have the legal authority to enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but he has called on the U.S. federal government to take action instead. According to The Hindu, Mamdani made the comments as the debate over Netanyahu’s possible visit to New York intensifies ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in September.
In a video posted on social media, Mamdani described Netanyahu as a “war criminal” and said the Israeli prime minister was not welcome in New York City. The mayor explained that his administration had examined the legal options available before concluding that city authorities could not independently carry out the ICC warrant. “It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant,” Mamdani said. “The federal government however does and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.”
Mamdani’s position represents a shift from comments he made earlier in the month, when he said he and New York City’s legal department were examining whether the city could arrest Netanyahu if he traveled to Manhattan for the U.N. gathering. During his mayoral campaign last year, Mamdani had repeatedly pledged that he would seek to enforce the ICC warrant if Netanyahu entered New York.
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The issue has drawn a strong response from U.S. President Donald Trump, who said in a social media post that Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America.” Although Trump did not directly mention Mamdani, his statement came amid the growing controversy surrounding the mayor’s earlier position.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, also criticized Mamdani’s comments. “Enough,” Danon said, accusing the mayor of focusing on Hamas-related propaganda rather than his responsibilities to New Yorkers. “You were elected to serve New Yorkers, not Hamas’ propaganda. Do your job!” he added.
The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in 2024 over alleged crimes against humanity connected to the war in Gaza. The court cited allegations including the use of starvation as a method of warfare and the intentional targeting of civilians, accusations that Israeli officials have rejected.
As reported by The Hindu, the dispute highlights the complicated intersection of international law, U.S. federal authority, and local political power, with Netanyahu’s potential September visit likely to keep the issue at the center of political debate.
