New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has conceded that the city is not empowered to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he visit the United States later this year. Despite the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Netanyahu, Mamdani clarified in a social media video that New York City cannot enforce such a warrant due to legal limitations.
Mamdani urged the US federal government to acknowledge the ICC warrant and take appropriate action, labeling Netanyahu as a war criminal. He stated that Netanyahu and others facing similar allegations would not be welcome in New York City. The Israeli Prime Minister is anticipated to visit New York in September to participate in the United Nations General Assembly.
During his campaign for mayor, Mamdani had promised to explore possibilities for enforcing the ICC’s warrant if Netanyahu entered New York. However, as the United States does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC and is not a member, this complicates any potential enforcement actions.
US President Donald Trump responded to Mamdani’s comments by asserting that Netanyahu would not face arrest on American soil, defending the Israeli leader’s actions and criticizing the mayor’s standpoint. Meanwhile, Netanyahu has downplayed the situation, expressing no concern over Mamdani’s statements.