Mamdani: New York unable to prevent Netanyahu from complying with the International Criminal Court warrant

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Tuesday that his office lacks the authority to enforce an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling on U.S. federal officials to intervene.

In a short video posted on social media, Mamdani explained, “I have reviewed with my administration all available avenues under existing law to determine whether New York City could execute an ICC arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu were to come here.”

He added, “It is clear that we do not have independent legal authority to enforce this arrest warrant. However, the federal government does have that authority, and I urge it to join the International Criminal Court and enforce this warrant.”

The Hague-based ICC announced in 2024 that it had reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu was responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with the Israeli attack on Gaza following Hamas’s unprecedented assault on October 7, 2023.

U.S. President Donald Trump pledged on Monday that the Israeli prime minister would not be arrested if he attended the upcoming United Nations General Assembly summit in New York in September.

Mamdani said in the video, “Anyone, with their eyes, heart, and conscience, must recognize the scale of the destruction caused and understand that his proper place is before the court, as I have previously stated.”

He added, “I agree with the International Criminal Court that Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes, just as anyone else accused by the court should be.”