SerpApi.Org
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has sparked political controversy after releasing a video urging the U.S. government to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.
Mamdani said that Netanyahu “is a war criminal” who is “responsible for the killing” of tens of thousands of people, adding that he agreed with the ICC’s position that the Israeli leader “should be arrested and tried for war crimes.”
“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.
He acknowledged that the city’s legal review found it lacked the authority to do so. “It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant,” he said.
Mamdani then appealed to Washington, D.C. “The federal government however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant,” he said. He also declared that Netanyahu is “not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large.”
From campaign pledge to city hall review
In an October 2025 interview with The New York Times‘ Astead Herndon, he said, “It is important that New York City is in compliance with international criminal law.” The newspaper noted that the stance confused some allies because the United States does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction.
His position dates back to December 2024, when he told Zeteo‘s Mehdi Hasan, “No. As mayor, New York City would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu,” adding that the city’s “values are in line with international law.”
After winning the mayoralty, Mamdani reiterated that pledge. Speaking to ABC7 after his November 2025 election, he described New York as a “city of international law” that would seek to uphold the ICC’s 2024 warrants against Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The issue resurfaced this month when Mamdani told The New York Times‘ “The Interview” podcast that his office was consulting the city’s Law Department. “I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court,” he said in July. He described it as an “active discussion with our legal department” tied to Netanyahu’s planned United Nations visit.
Tuesday’s video ended that discussion, with the administration concluding it lacks the authority to act while Mamdani continues to publicly pressure Netanyahu.
Trump draws a line before Mamdani’s video
Two days before Mamdani’s video, President Donald Trump ruled out any possibility of an arrest.
“Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape or form, while in the United States of America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump linked his defense of Netanyahu to Israel’s conflict with Iran. “He is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors and has spent the last 47 years killing American Soldiers and others,” he wrote.
The president argued that the “only ones that should be arrested” are those responsible for what he called Iran’s “spiral of death and destruction.”
Netanyahu’s office also responded before Mamdani released the video. On July 19, he reposted a statement describing the ICC as a “kangaroo court that has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis” and accusing former ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan of issuing the warrant to distract from sexual misconduct allegations.
Netanyahu has also dismissed the prospect of arrest, telling reporters he is “not concerned.” At one point, he joked that he would travel to New York with Trump, prompting the president to reply, “I’ll get him out.”
Legal experts question the authority
CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said on The Source that it was “utterly ridiculous for the mayor of New York City to even suggest that he might have the authority to order the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu or any visiting foreign head of state.”
Honig noted that the United States has not ratified the Rome Statute, which requires member states to arrest ICC suspects, and said foreign policy “is entirely up to the federal government.”
The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over allegations related to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel.
The warrant accuses Netanyahu of crimes including intentionally targeting civilians and using starvation as a method of warfare, allegations Israel has repeatedly denied.
Both the Joe Biden and Trump administrations criticized the ICC warrants. The Trump administration later imposed sanctions on Khan and other ICC officials in response to the court’s actions against Israeli leaders.
