NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has admitted his administration lacks the legal power to detain Benjamin Netanyahu, but he is refusing to stay silent. The former released a video statement on Tuesday branding the Israeli prime minister a “war criminal.” Mamdani also urged federal authorities to act on an outstanding International Criminal Court warrant.
Zohran Mamdani called for federal enforcement of the ICC warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu
“Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large,” Mamdani said. The statement came ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu’s expected visit to the city in September for the United Nations General Assembly.
During his mayoral campaign, Zohran Mamdani had pledged to order the New York Police Department to arrest Netanyahu if he set foot in the city. That promise collided with legal reality after the city Law Department examined the question. Mamdani disclosed in the video that the review found New York City does “not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant.”
The mayor instead directed his challenge toward Washington, calling Netanyahu “the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people” and pressing federal officials to execute the ICC warrant themselves. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant in 2024 over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The court accused both of intentionally depriving Gaza’s population of food, water, fuel and medicine. Netanyahu and Gallant have denied the charges.
Any prospect of federal enforcement appears bleak. President Donald Trump stated on Monday that the Israeli leader would not be arrested in the United States “in any way, shape, or form.” Additionally, the nation is not a member of the ICC, weakening the warrant’s domestic reach.
The war in Gaza has killed more than 70,000 people. Both Israeli and international human rights groups, along with two separate United Nations commissions, have described Israel’s conduct during the conflict as genocide.
(Source: The New York Times)
