Mayor Zohran Mamdani continues to consider his legal options when it comes to arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes.
“If someone is charged with a warrant from the International Criminal Court for these types of crimes, that’s something I believe should be honored,” he said Monday.
What You Need To Know
On Monday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani doubled on his comments, saying he would arrest Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Mamdani, in an interview over the weekend, said he was in an “active conversation” with the city’s law department on whether he could direct the NYPD to arrest Netanyahu if he stepped foot in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly
International and law experts say Mamdani has no authority to arrest the world leader who has state immunity and is protected during his UN visit
Mamdani doubled down on his criticism of the world leader amid questions about whether he will try to arrest him.
“We’re speaking about someone who is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, and he’s the subject of the arrest warrant for alleged crimes against humanity, for war crimes, and he’s the architect of the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza,” he said.
“These are not facts of my personal assessment. They are facts of public record,” the mayor added.
It was in an interview with the New York Times over the weekend that Mamdani said he was in an “active conversation” with the city’s law department on whether he could direct the police department to arrest Netanyahu.
The Israeli Prime Minister is expected to attend the United Nations General Assembly in September.
But President Donald Trump has already stepped in to quell the effort.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said, in part, that Netanyahu: “Will not be arrested, in any way, shape or form, while in the United States of America…The only ones that should be arrested are the people that led Iran into this unprecedented SPIRAL OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION, smething that should have been dealt with years ago, by previous Presidents!”
Experts told NY1 that Mandani likely has no legal authority to arrest Netanyahu. Rebecca Ingber, a professor of law at the Cardozo School of Law, told NY1 in a statement that Netanyahu has state immunity, which shields sitting heads of state and government from criminal jurisdiction.
She noted that as a member of the UN he also protected while in the city for the General Assembly.
“It’s completely detached from reality and it goes against everything really what the United Nations really stands for: bringing people together.,” Ingber said.
Jonathan Harounoff, Israel’s former international spokesperson at the United Nations, told NY1 that Mamdani’s statements are “political theater” amid legal precedent not allowing the arrest.
Harounoff said that the General Assembly is about world leaders coming together to solve international problems and not about Mamdani’s issues with Netanyahu.
“Ultimately, I think the mayor should stay in his lane. There are plenty of problems, domestic issues that the mayor of New York City should be focused on,” he said.
Mamdani seemed to acknowledge that other laws may keep him from following up on his efforts.
“My administration will follow all applicable local laws. That is our commitment. That is something we will follow through on,” Mamdani said.