Mamdani says New York City can't arrest Netanyahu but the federal government should
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- Mamdani said in a Tuesday video on X that NYC does not have 'the independent legal authority' to execute the ICC warrant, but called on the federal government to 'join the ICC and execute this warrant.'
- Mamdani called Netanyahu a 'war criminal' and said he is 'not welcome in New York City,' reversing from earlier this month when he told the NYT he and the city's legal department were discussing arresting Netanyahu if he comes to the UN General Assembly in September.
- Trump told Netanyahu in a Monday social media post that he 'will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,' a day before Mamdani's statement.
- The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in 2024, alleging crimes against humanity including using 'starvation as a method of warfare' by restricting humanitarian aid and intentionally targeting civilians in Gaza — charges Israeli officials deny.
- Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon fired back at Mamdani on social media, telling him 'enough' and accusing him of serving 'Hamas' propaganda' rather than New Yorkers.
Why it matters: Mamdani's statement creates a constitutional standoff: a US city's executive symbolically denounces a sitting head of state set to attend the UN General Assembly in September while conceding he has no enforcement power, and the federal government has already publicly pledged to shield Netanyahu from arrest on US soil — making the ICC warrant effectively unenforceable domestically despite Mamdani's call to action.
