Zohran Mamdani, the Mayor of New York City, has withdrawn his earlier pledge to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his upcoming visit to the city in September.
Mamdani took to X on Tuesday and explained that his office does not have the independent legal authority to carry out the arrest warrant. He instead called on the federal government to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) and enforce the warrant.
In a video shared on X, Mamdani stated, “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 [International Criminal Court] and execute this warrant." he added.
Mamdani reaffirmed his support for the ICC’s stance that Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his alleged crimes. He also mentioned that his administration had explored all possible legal “avenues” for the arrest.
