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Mamdani says he doesn't have legal authority to arrest Netanyahu

The Hill · back to the audit

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) on Tuesday backed off of his previous promise to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he flies to the Big Apple in September for the annual United Nations General Assembly.

"It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does," Mamdani said in a video posted to the social platform X Tuesday night.

He continued, "And I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant."

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on November 21, 2024, accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity for action taken in the Gaza strip during the Israel-Hamas war.

Israel and the U.S. are not subject to the rulings of the ICC, as both countries have never ratified the Rome Statute -- the treaty that created the ICC -- and therefore do not recognize the court's jurisdiction over its citizens, servicemembers or government officials.