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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani drew both praise and criticism Tuesday after admitting in a video that he lacks the authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his upcoming visit.
In a video posted to X, Mamdani called on the federal government to execute an international law arrest warrant against Netanyahu, but admitted that New York City didn't have "independent legal authority" to do it themselves.
"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. "It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant."
While Mamdani repeatedly referred to Netanyahu as a "war criminal" and Israel's occupation of Gaza as a "genocide," he appeared to back away from his campaign promise to seek Netanyahu's arrest, despite reiterating the pledge just days earlier--a stance that prompted President Donald Trump to declare Monday that the Israeli prime minister would not be arrested "in any way, shape, or form."
Mamdani's video message soon went viral on X, garnering over 13 million views and 15,000 comments at the time of writing. The update appeared to spark mixed reactions online, with some applauding the mayor for his "moral clarity" and criticism from others for being "performative."
"This is the kind of moral clarity we need from every elected Democrat," liberal political commentator Adam Mockler wrote in response on X. Meanwhile, actor Michael Rapaport, a vocal critic of Mamdani's, roasted the mayor for the "music and everything" in the video
Podcaster Stephen L. Miller quipped on X, "Make-Pretend President realizes he is just a city mayor."
For a roundup of reactions, keep reading.
The post Zohran Mamdani Draws Both Praise and Criticism After Admitting He Can't Arrest Netanyahu appeared first on TheWrap.
