NYC Mayor Reconsiders Arrest Pledge for Netanyahu

Sun Sep 06 2026 03:43:41 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Mayor Zohran Mamdani pulls back pledge to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu amid legal limits, urging US officials to enforce the ICC arrest warrant.

In a recent video, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he does not have the authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city, despite an ICC warrant for alleged war crimes. He urged U.S. authorities to enforce the warrant, citing the US’s non‑membership in the ICC and the limits of local jurisdiction. The move comes after President Donald Trump’s statement that Netanyahu would not be arrested in the U.S. Mamdani’s comments reflect shifting U.S. sentiment toward Israel and the broader debate over holding leaders accountable for international crimes.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani Reconsiders Arrest Pledge for Netanyahu

In a video posted to social media, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he no longer has the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if the former visits the city. He called on U.S. officials to enforce the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant issued against Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Mamdani’s statement follows a statement by President Donald Trump, who declared on Truth Social that Netanyahu would not be arrested in any way while in the United States. The mayor highlighted that the U.S. is not a party to the Rome Statute, the founding treaty that gives the ICC authority, and that local police lack independent jurisdiction to detain the Israeli leader.

The mayor’s remarks came after an earlier interview with the New York Times during which he vowed to order police to arrest Netanyahu if he arrived in New York City, calling the Israeli Prime Minister a war criminal and the Gaza conflict a genocide. In the video, he reiterated that Netanyahu is “not welcome” in the city and urged federal authorities to join the ICC and execute the warrant.

The ICC issued the arrest warrant in 2024, and it also targets a Hamas commander. Mamdani’s public stance aligns with a growing segment of Democratic voters who feel the United States is too supportive of Israel, according to a recent poll. Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon dismissed the mayor’s comments, telling him he was elected to serve New Yorkers, not “Hamas’ propaganda.”

An image of Mayor Mamdani was included in the story: