New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has revealed that he is currently engaged in "active conversation" with the city's law department to determine whether his administration holds the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The potential scenario concerns a possible visit by the Israeli leader to New York for the United Nations General Assembly scheduled for September.
During a recent appearance on the New York Times’s "The Interview" podcast, Mamdani reiterated his stance that Netanyahu, who has been issued an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in November 2024 for alleged war crimes in Gaza, belongs in The Hague. During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani characterized Israel’s military actions in Gaza as a genocide and Netanyahu as a war criminal, telling the New York Times in September that he would order NYPD to arrest Netanyahu in the event he ever set foot there. He also condemned the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel as a tragedy. The mayor emphasized that while he is reviewing his options, he will not attempt to create new laws, stating, "Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that’s what we will do."
The ICC warrant accuses Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders of crimes against humanity and war crimes, specifically citing "starvation as a method of warfare," as well as murder and persecution. Mamdani noted that he is not making a personal assessment of the Prime Minister but is instead acknowledging the weight of the international warrant.
The threat of arrest has been dismissed by federal officials and Israeli representatives. Mike Waltz, Donald Trump’s ambassador to the UN, labeled the mayor’s comments as "pure political theater," noting that the United States is not a party to the ICC and does not recognize its jurisdiction. And in February 2025, early in his presidency, Donald Trump ordered economic sanctions against the court, maintaining that it lacked jurisdiction over the US or Israel. Similarly, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, criticized Mamdani, accusing him of failing to address rising antisemitism in the city and asserting that Netanyahu will address the UN General Assembly with pride.
For his part, Netanyahu has publicly brushed off the threats, characterizing them as insignificant during a recent radio appearance on WABC. The Prime Minister also alleged that Mamdani supports Hamas, a claim the mayor has denied. Mamdani has countered criticisms regarding his handling of antisemitism by highlighting his administration's increased funding for an office dedicated to combating hate crimes.
Legal experts previously cited by the New York Times suggested that an arrest attempt by the mayor would be a "practical impossibility" and could lead to a direct conflict with the U.S. federal government.
Mamdani’s rhetoric comes amid a shifting political landscape within the Democratic Party regarding Israel. While a recent measure to strip $3.3 billion in military aid to Israel failed to pass in the House of Representatives, nearly half of House Democrats voted in favor, signaling a notable change in unconditional support for the nation. Mamdani maintains that the ongoing war in Gaza remains a primary concern for voters, reflecting a broader trend he observed during his own successful mayoral election last fall.
Trumps’s US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, then recently vowed to “dismantle” the court, accusing it of “waging a war against our country, not with bullets or missiles” but with “the force of so-called international law”.
“It is hard to find a more bankrupt policy approach than what our country has done to Gaza and to Palestine,” he said.
