Mamdani: ‘Trump should arrest Netanyahu because I can’t’

NYC’s anti-Israel mayor conceded city officials cannot enforce the ICC warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

By World Israel News Staff

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani acknowledged on Tuesday that he does not have the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if the premier were to visit New York City — despite previously pledging that he would seek to have Netanyahu detained under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.

In a video posted to his X account, Mamdani nevertheless reiterated his support for the ICC warrant and urged President Donald Trump to take action against the Israeli leader.

“Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people,” Mamdani said.

“He belongs before a court of law. As I’ve said, I agree that Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes,” he added.

“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,” he said. “It is clear we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant.”

The mayor emphasized that, in his view, the federal government possesses the authority to decide whether to cooperate with the ICC, even though the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute that established the court and does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction over U.S. citizens or officials.

“I call on them to join the ICC and execute this” warrant, Mamdani said.

“I want to be equally clear: Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large.”

Mamdani’s latest remarks represent a shift from earlier campaign rhetoric, in which he suggested that New York City itself could play a role in enforcing the ICC warrant. His clarification follows legal scrutiny over whether any municipal government in the United States has the authority to execute warrants issued by an international tribunal that the federal government does not recognize.

President Donald Trump also appeared to weigh in on the controversy, posting a message on his Truth Social platform defending Netanyahu’s ability to travel to the United States.

“Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape or form, while in the United States of America,” Trump wrote, though he did not explicitly reference Mamdani’s video.