New York Mayor admits he wonʼt be able to arrest Netanyahu, Trump previously strongly opposes this

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani admitted that he will not be able to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but is calling on federal authorities to do so.

In his address, Mamdani called Netanyahu a war criminal responsible for the killing of more than 73 000 people and the maiming of tens of thousands of children as a result of the fighting.

The mayor said his administration had considered all possible legal ways for local authorities to arrest Netanyahu under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant. However, they do not have such powers, while federal authorities do.

"I want to be no less clear — Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York, just like any other war criminal. But we cannot end genocide alone," he added.

• In November 2024, ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Galant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including using starvation as a method of warfare. Israel denies these charges.
• On July 20, 2026, Mamdani reported that the cityʼs legal department was looking into the possibility of arresting Netanyahu if he decided to attend the UN General Assembly in September. However, Donald Trump ruled out such a possibility.

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