Mamdani Concedes NYC Cannot Arrest Netanyahu, Urges Federal Action

From campaign pledge to legal review

Zohran Mamdani's promise to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu dates to his 2025 mayoral campaign, when he told the New York Times he would direct the NYPD to enforce an International Criminal Court warrant. The warrant, issued in 2024, accuses Netanyahu of responsibility for war crimes. Mamdani has repeatedly labeled Israel's occupation of Gaza a genocide. Last week, in an interview with The New York Times Magazine, he said he was in "active conversation" with the city's Law Department about executing the warrant. On Tuesday night, he posted a video to X and Instagram announcing the result of that review.

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. It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant.

The mayor's message

Seated between the flags of the United States and New York City, Mamdani called Netanyahu a "war criminal" and "the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people." He said the Israeli prime minister is "not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large." While acknowledging the city's limits, he urged the federal government to join the ICC and execute the warrant.

The federal government, however, does — and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.

He added: "While we cannot end the genocide on our own we can decide whether our silence will become another weapon, and we can examine every tool we have to defend the humanity and dignity of all people."

Washington and Jerusalem respond

President Trump weighed in on Monday, before Mamdani's video, posting that Netanyahu "will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form" in the United States. Trump described the Israeli leader as "fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran" and said those who "led Iran into this unprecedented spiral of death and destruction" should be arrested. Netanyahu's office, in a Sunday statement, accused Mamdani of trying to "divert public attention from his follies" and attacking "the leader of the Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East." Netanyahu himself said he was "not concerned" about the mayor's remarks.

Legal reality and the September visit

The United States does not recognize the ICC's authority and is not a party to the court. Legal experts had previously expressed doubt that a mayor could order local police to detain a sitting foreign leader. Trump has sought to sanction the ICC over the Netanyahu warrant. Netanyahu is expected to travel to New York in September for the United Nations General Assembly. With no enforcement mechanism at the city or federal level, the visit is likely to proceed without incident.