Mamdani Urges US Enforce ICC Warrant: NYC Can’t Arrest Netanyahu 

By Staff, Agencies 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Tuesday night that a legal review has concluded he does not have the authority to arrest “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city, effectively ending a pledge he made during his mayoral campaign while maintaining his criticism of Bibi and the aggreession on Gaza.

In a two-minute address posted on his official social media accounts, Mamdani declared that "Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people", while acknowledging that legal restrictions prevent him from carrying out his previous pledge to arrest Netanyahu based on an International Criminal Court [ICC] warrant.

“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.

“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this one.”
The review puts to rest a question that had repeatedly surfaced since Mamdani first vowed to take Netanyahu into custody over the ICC warrant. The pledge had also become a rallying point among his pro-Palestinian supporters.

"The federal government, however, does", he continued.

Legal limits prevent New York City from enforcing ICC warrant

The United States does not recognize the ICC's authority over US citizens or foreign nationals on US soil, while local authorities do not have the power to independently enforce such a warrant.

US law also gives the federal government control over foreign policy, while heads of state traveling to the United Nations are protected by diplomatic immunity. “If someone is charged with a warrant from the International Criminal Court for these types of crimes, that’s something I believe should be honored,” Mamdani told reporters on Monday.

Mamdani, who rose to political prominence through pro-Palestinian activism, has remained outspoken in his criticism of the “Israeli” occupation and has described himself as anti-Zionist. 
He also repeatedly said during his campaign that he would arrest Netanyahu over the conduct of the genocide in Gaza.

Netanyahu's representatives in the US responded angrily to Mamdani's comments, calling him “an antisemite” and accusing him of attacking “Israel” to “deflect from political failures”.

Danny Danon, “Israel's” ambassador to the United Nations, also criticized Mamdani in a social media post on Tuesday night.

“Zohran Mamdani, ENOUGH. Enough with the blood libels. Enough with the attacks on Jewish organizations. Enough with the outreach to the Iranian regime. You were elected to serve New Yorkers, not Hamas’ propaganda. Do your job!”

Mamdani's Tuesday address also mirrored a Nakba Day video produced by his City Hall media team commemorating the displacement of Palestinians during the establishment of “Israel” in 1948. 

Mamdani calls on Trump administration to enforce ICC warrant

In his address, Mamdani said that while New York City had exhausted its legal options, the federal government had not.

He called on the Trump administration to join the ICC and enforce its arrest warrant against Netanyahu. US President Donald Trump, writing on Truth Social on Monday, had reassured Netanyahu that he “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America.”

Mamdani concluded by saying that Netanyahu “is not welcome in New York City” and stressed that New York leaders can choose not to remain silent in defense of Palestinian human rights.
“That is my commitment to you,” he said.