New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Tuesday his office does not have the authority to carry out the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and called on US federal officials to step in.
“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 in a brief video message posted to social media.
“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.”
The Hague-based International Criminal Court said in 2024 that it had reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israel’s offensive in Gaza following the brutal October 7, 2023 cross-border attack by Hamas.
US President Donald Trump on Monday vowed the Israeli Prime Minister would not face arrest if he attended September’s United Nations General Assembly summit in New York.
