Zoran Mamdani urges federal government to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu: ‘I call on them to join ICC in executing arrest warrant’
mayor of new york city Zoran Mamdani His government has been unable to legally arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite reviewing all available legal options, he said on Tuesday.
Instead, he called on the U.S. federal government to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) and execute the court’s arrest warrant against the Israeli leader when he visits New York.
Zoran Mamdani urges government to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu
Mamdani made several promises during his campaign to detain Netanyahu when he attends the United Nations General Assembly each September.
Mamdani reiterated the threat on Monday and called Netanyahu a “war criminal.”
However, on Tuesday, Mamdani said in a video statement uploaded by
“My administration has reviewed all available avenues under applicable law to determine whether New York City can execute an ICC arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu comes to New York,” Mamdani said in the video.
He continues to urge the federal government to take action. “It is clear that we do not have independent legal authority to enforce this search warrant. However, the federal government does, and I call on them to join the ICC and enforce this search warrant,” he said.
The Israeli prime minister will be charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity as part of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, according to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
Mamdani told The New York Times’ “The Interview” podcast earlier this month that he was in “active conversations” with legal authorities about whether he could order the NYPD to arrest Netanyahu.
Read more: Israeli drone strike in Gaza kills 6 people, including 9-year-old girl, health officials say
Why New York City Can’t Enforce ICC Search Warrants
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and other Israeli officials in 2024, charging them with war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israeli military operations following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Israel denies the accusations and refuses to accept the court’s jurisdiction.
CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said the idea that the New York City mayor could order Netanyahu’s arrest is legally untenable.
He pointed out that the United States has not ratified the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court. States that are not parties to the treaty are not obliged to execute ICC arrest warrants.
Honig added that foreign affairs and foreign relations are solely the province of the federal government, not city officials.
The Trump administration also stepped up its opposition to the ICC during the president’s second term. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently vowed to “disband” the court, accusing it of using international law to target the United States and its allies.
Trump and Israel reject Mamdani’s stance
Following Mamdani’s threat on Monday, President Donald Trump responded on Monday by declaring on The Truth Society that Netanyahu “will not be arrested in any way, shape or form.”
Netanyahu personally rejected the warning on Monday, ABC News reported. “He hangs out with terrorists. And, I think the problem is, you know, he doesn’t recognize or care that people who hate Jews and Israel end up hating America,” he said.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, also harshly criticized Mamdani’s latest statement. “You were elected to serve New Yorkers, not Hamas propaganda. Do your job!” Danon wrote on the X.
