Mamdani says he won't try to arrest Israel's Netanyahu, acknowledges NYC doesn't have legal authority
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Tuesday that his administration lacks the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The mayor previously promised during his campaign to enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant if Netanyahu visited the city for the United Nations General Assembly.
In a video statement released Tuesday, Mamdani confirmed that his team conducted a review of local laws and reached the conclusion that municipal power does not extend to the execution of international warrants. The mayor maintains his personal position on the matter, labeling the Prime Minister a war criminal, but he stated that the city is bound by current legal constraints.
Instead of municipal action, Mamdani is now calling on the federal government to address the warrant. This pivot follows intense criticism from various officials, including Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon, who characterized the mayor's rhetoric as propaganda.
President Trump recently clarified the federal position, stating on social media that Netanyahu will not face arrest while in the United States. The United States is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the International Criminal Court, and federal authorities generally do not recognize its legal jurisdiction over American soil.
This development settles a point of significant local tension regarding the upcoming UN General Assembly. While the debate over the ICC warrants continues on the global stage, the legal reality for the New York City administration remains fixed under federal and state law.