New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has acknowledged that the City Hall lacks the authority to execute the ICC arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu, but has urged the federal government to do so.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has admitted that the city does not have the power to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). In a video shared on his social media, the New York mayor has asked President Donald Trump to have the federal government carry out the measure.
“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce that order,” said Mamdani, who leads the most progressive wing of the Democratic Party. “The federal government does have that authority, and I ask it to adhere to the International Criminal Court and execute it,” he added.
This statement marks a shift from his campaign rhetoric, when he promised to use “all mechanisms at his disposal” to arrest Netanyahu if he set foot in the city. In recent days, the mayor had consulted with local legal services to see if there was a legal basis to order the New York Police to act against a foreign head of government. The conclusion was negative.
“He is a war criminal, the architect of an atrocious genocide against the Palestinian people, responsible for the deaths of more than 73,000 people.”
Mamdani described Netanyahu as a “war criminal” and held him accountable for the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, the attack on hospitals, the blockade of humanitarian aid, and the killing of humanitarian workers and journalists. His words come after Trump closed off any possibility of arrest, stating that the Israeli leader “will not be arrested under any circumstances” on U.S. soil.
Netanyahu's visit to New York is scheduled for September, in connection with the United Nations General Assembly. The White House has reiterated that it does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC and that the State Department seeks to suffocate the court for reasons of “national security.”
For followers of the Middle East conflict, the standoff between Mamdani and Trump highlights the growing fracture within the Democratic Party regarding support for Israel. While the New York mayor embodies the most critical faction of Israeli policy, the Trump Administration maintains unconditional support for Netanyahu.
The ICC order, issued in 2024, accuses Netanyahu of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the offensive in Gaza. So far, no member country has executed the arrest, and most of Israel's allies, such as the U.S., have refused to cooperate.
The next step will be Netanyahu's arrival in New York. Mamdani has made it clear that he will not welcome him, but his capacity for action is limited to symbolic gestures. The ball is now in Trump's court.
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