New York City Mayor Says He Lacks Authority to Arrest Israeli Prime Minister

On Tuesday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that the city does not possess the legal power to detain Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if the leader visits New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September. Mamdani said the city’s Law Department had examined every possible legal avenue and concluded that only the federal government could enforce the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant.

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The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on November 21, 2024, accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza during the 2023-2024 Israel-Hamas war. The United States and Israel have never ratified the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the ICC, and therefore do not recognize its jurisdiction over their officials. Mamdani, who took office in January 2026, had pledged during his mayoral campaign to arrest Netanyahu should he set foot in the city.

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• The Gaza Health Ministry reports over 73,000 Palestinians killed in the conflict; the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack resulted in about 1,200 Israeli deaths and 250 hostages taken.

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• The Israel-Hamas war officially ended on October 10, 2025, after a U.S.-backed peace plan.

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• Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon called Mamdani’s threat “a stunt” and asserted that the mayor “has no jurisdiction” to arrest the prime minister, citing the long-standing agreement that foreign leaders may address the UN General Assembly in New York.

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• Netanyahu’s office dismissed the ICC warrant as “bogus” and labeled the court a “kangaroo court” with no jurisdiction over Israelis or Americans.

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• Trump’s statement framed the issue as a matter of U.S. sovereignty, emphasizing that the United States will not enforce the ICC warrant.

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• Israeli officials described the ICC’s action as “absurd and false,” rejecting the court’s legitimacy.

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• While the ICC asserts jurisdiction over the Palestinian territories, U.S. officials maintain that the United States is not a party to the court and therefore cannot be compelled to act on its warrants.

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• No U.S. federal agency has publicly confirmed whether it will consider executing the warrant, leaving the practical feasibility of an arrest unclear.

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• “Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people,” — Zohran Mamdani, mayor

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• “It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does,” — Zohran Mamdani, mayor

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• “Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” — Donald Trump, president

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• “We all know it’s a stunt, you know, and no basis to these remarks of the mayor,” — United Nations Danny Danon

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Netanyahu is expected to travel to New York in September for the United Nations General Assembly. Mamdani has called on the federal government to intervene, but no official U.S. response has been announced. The situation remains pending as the UNGA convenes and the legal debate over ICC jurisdiction continues.

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