Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York, has said his administration has no authority to enforce the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but called on the US federal government to do so.
Mamdani’s office reviewed all the legal options for the case to see whether New York City can carry out the warrant in the event Netanyahu arrives in the city, he said in a video sent out on social media on Tuesday.
“All options have been considered within the bounds of the law, under my administration,” he said. “Obviously, we simply don’t have independent legal power to implement this warrant. But the federal government does, and I urge them to cooperate with the ICC and carry out this warrant.”
Read more: Zohran Mamdani calls US-Israel strikes on Iran “illegal aggression”
The ICC, headquartered in The Hague, issued arrest warrants in 2024, alleging that Netanyahu was responsible for the war crimes and crimes against humanity that occurred during Israel’s military offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israel has denied the charges, and the US is not a signatory to the ICC.
Mamdani also repeated his own call to hold Netanyahu accountable “before a court of law” for those who have borne witness to the destruction in Gaza.
He said he agreed with ICC that Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes, as well as anyone else charged by the ICC.
His comments came a day after US President Donald Trump stated that Netanyahu would not be arrested if he came to New York in September to attend the United Nations General Assembly, signalling that Trump’s administration opposes the ICC.
Also read: Trump says Netanyahu won’t be arrested in US
