Mamdani says NYC lacks power to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Tuesday that the city does not have the legal authority to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu on an International Criminal Court warrant, walking back a campaign pledge ahead of the Israeli prime minister’s expected September visit for the United Nations General Assembly. The admission ends weeks of speculation over whether local police could enforce the ICC order if Netanyahu comes to New York.
Key Takeaways
- Mamdani said New York City lacks independent legal authority to enforce the ICC arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu.
- He still called on the U.S. federal government to join the ICC and execute the warrant.
- Netanyahu is expected in New York in September for the U.N. General Assembly.
- President Donald Trump said Netanyahu “will not be arrested” on U.S. soil.
- The United States does not recognize the ICC’s authority and is not a party to the court.
What did Mamdani say about arresting Benjamin Netanyahu?
In a social media video posted Tuesday, Mamdani said his administration had “reviewed every avenue available under applicable law” to see whether New York City could execute the ICC warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu traveled there. His conclusion was blunt: the city does not have that independent power.
“Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people,” Mamdani said, according to The Guardian. He added that Netanyahu “is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large.”
The mayor still argued the ICC warrant, issued in 2024 over alleged war crimes, is justified. He said he believes Netanyahu “belongs in The Hague,” where the court is based, and urged federal authorities to act instead.
Why does this reverse his earlier pledge?
During his 2025 mayoral campaign, Mamdani told The New York Times he would direct the NYPD to enforce the ICC warrant. He doubled down for months after taking office and said last week he was still reviewing whether an arrest was possible during Netanyahu’s expected U.N. trip.
That review is now closed. As Bizarre News & Florida Man coverage has tracked, the gap between campaign rhetoric and city legal power left Mamdani facing a high-stakes test case. Legal experts had already been skeptical that a mayor could order local police to detain a visiting foreign leader on an ICC warrant the United States does not recognize.
How have Trump and Netanyahu responded?
President Donald Trump rebuked the idea before Mamdani’s walk-back, writing on social media that Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form” while in the country. Trump cast Netanyahu as fighting Iran and said those who led Iran into “death and destruction” should be arrested instead.
Netanyahu said he is “not concerned” about Mamdani’s comments. His office separately accused the mayor of trying to divert attention by attacking “the leader of the Jewish state.”
With Benjamin Netanyahu still expected in New York this September, the practical outcome is clear: City Hall will not try to cuff him, and the White House says no U.S. arrest is coming either.