Advisers urged Mamdani to drop Netanyahu arrest pledge, he didn't listen

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: New reporting revealed Zohran Mamdani was urged by his own advisers during the 2025 mayoral campaign to stop publicly promising to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The disclosure adds fresh scrutiny to Mamdani's repeated public statements on the issue. It also raises questions about why he continued making the pledge despite warnings that it could create legal and political problems.

Campaign allies urged Mamdani to drop Netanyahu issue

According to two people with direct knowledge of the conversations, at least two outside advisers urged Mamdani's campaign to move away from the Netanyahu issue during last year's race, Politico reported on Friday, July 24.

“Their concerns centered on two issues. Legal experts had already pointed to longstanding barriers preventing a New York City mayor from ordering the arrest of a foreign head of state, and advisers worried Mamdani risked shifting attention away from issues directly tied to running the city,” the report stated.

The pushback came, according to one person familiar with the discussions, "because it was a distraction and would put him in a tough position."

The report said the conversations became a topic inside the campaign as early as September 2025. Despite those warnings, Mamdani continued publicly suggesting he could have Netanyahu arrested if the Israeli leader visited New York.

Mamdani told The New York Times in an interview that aired Saturday he remained in "active conversation" with city lawyers about having the New York Police Department arrest Netanyahu during September's United Nations General Assembly.

Zohran Mamdani later acknowledged legal limits

The New York Times previously reported that city lawyers had already advised Mamdani he lacked legal authority to order Netanyahu's arrest on International Criminal Court war crimes charges.

Days after the interview aired, Mamdani backed away from his earlier position, saying he would not attempt the arrest because he had no "independent legal authority" to enforce an ICC warrant.

His public messaging, however, shifted over time.

On September 12, 2025, Mamdani told the New York Times he planned to "fulfill" his promise to arrest Netanyahu and even said he would direct the NYPD to carry it out.

Less than two weeks later, during an interview with Mehdi Hasan, he adopted a more restrained position.

"We are a city that believes in international law," Mamdani said. "Now look, to be clear, I'm going to operate within the bounds of the law. I'm not Donald Trump seeking to create my own legal system as I make my own decisions."

Security plans remain unchanged

Even after Mamdani acknowledged he lacked the authority to order an arrest, some pro-Palestinian activists urged him to take other actions during Netanyahu's expected visit.

‘Within Our Lifetime’ founder Nerdeen Kiswani wrote on X, "Don't roll out the red carpet for a wanted war criminal. Don't use the NYPD to insulate him from public outrage."

City officials, however, indicated normal security procedures would remain in place.

"As we do every year, the NYPD works with the Secret Service, the State Department, and other federal agencies to provide protection to foreign dignitaries traveling to New York City based on the level of threat assessed," an NYPD spokesperson said.

A Secret Service official also said Netanyahu would receive protection "just like in years past" and that the agency expects to coordinate those security efforts with the NYPD, the report said.