NEW YORK: New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Tuesday that his administration does not have the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under an International Criminal Court warrant if he visits the city.
Mamdani said his office had reviewed all available legal options but concluded that New York City could not independently enforce the warrant.
Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal. pic.twitter.com/YRezmW6YVx
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 22, 2026
“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,” Mamdani said in a video message posted on social media.
“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does,” he said, urging Washington to act.
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The ICC issued the warrant in 2024, saying it had reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu was responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to Israel’s offensive in Gaza after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
US President Donald Trump said Monday that Netanyahu would not face arrest if he attended the United Nations General Assembly summit in New York in September.
Mamdani said Netanyahu should face trial, adding that anyone charged by the ICC should be brought before a court of law.
Netanyahu’s office rejected Mamdani’s remarks and dismissed the ICC as a “kangaroo court.”
The dispute highlights growing political tensions in the United States over Israel’s war in Gaza and the limits of local authority in enforcing international warrants.
