Zohran Mamdani backtracks on vow to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu during NYC visit

NEW YORK CITY, NY: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani conceded Tuesday, July 21, that his administration does not have the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, backing away from a pledge he had repeated since his mayoral campaign.

Mamdani had long maintained that his administration would move to enforce the ICC's 2024 arrest warrant against Netanyahu, who is expected to visit New York this fall for the United Nations General Assembly.

As recently as last week, he told The New York Times he was actively working with his legal team on how such an arrest might be carried out. Tuesday's video marked his clearest acknowledgment yet that the plan is not legally viable. 

Zohran Mamdani urges Trump to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu

"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 posted to X.

"It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant."

Rather than abandoning his position on Netanyahu altogether, Mamdani redirected his call to the federal government. 

"The federal government, however, does [have that authority], and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant," he said, again describing Netanyahu as a "war criminal" and "the architect of a horrific acts against the Palestinian people."

The ICC issued its warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024, accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

Netanyahu has denied the allegations. Neither the United States nor Israel is a party to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, and Washington does not recognize the court's jurisdiction over its citizens or allies. 

President Donald Trump had already weighed in before Mamdani's reversal, writing on Truth Social that Netanyahu "will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America."

Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, condemned Mamdani's earlier comments, writing on social media, "Zohran Mamdani, ENOUGH. Enough with the blood libels... You were elected to serve New Yorkers, not Hamas' propaganda."

Legal experts questioned Netanyahu arrest pledge

There appears to be little chance of federal law enforcement arresting Netanyahu in the near future. President Trump said that the Israeli leader, whose country is a longtime American ally, would not be arrested in the United States "in any way, shape, or form."

The United States does not recognize the authority of the International Criminal Court, and legal experts had previously expressed skepticism that Mamdani could order local police to detain a foreign leader.

Trump also sought to sanction the ICC in response to its arrest warrant for Netanyahu.