WASHINGTON (TNND) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that his administration doesn’t have the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but called on the federal government to join the International Criminal Court and execute the warrant.

“Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people,” Mamdani said in a video posted on X on Tuesday.

“As I’ve said, I agree with the ICC that Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes, as I do for anyone else charged by the ICC. 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. 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,” he added.

Mamdani’s remarks came after he repeatedly said over the last week that he was seeking to arrest Netanyahu if legally possible.

On Saturday, Mamdani told The New York Times’s “The Interview” podcast that he was reviewing whether he could have Netanyahu arrested.

In 2024, the ICC issued a warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Palestinian territories, including “starvation as a method of warfare” and “other inhumane acts” against the Gazan population.

“We’re not talking about a personal assessment of Benjamin Netanyahu,” Mamdani said. “We’re talking about the International Criminal Court and the fact that they have a warrant out for this prime minister’s arrest, and I think it’s important to talk about the weight that that has as a charge and that also, as the mayor of New York City, I’ll be following the laws of New York City.”

Mamdani noted that he would follow New York City’s laws regarding what will happen with Netanyahu, adding that there is “an active conversation with our legal department.”

On Tuesday, Mamdani also said, “And I want to be equally clear: Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large. While we cannot end the genocide on our own, we can decide whether our silence will become another weapon, and we can examine every tool we have to defend the humanity and dignity of all people — that is my commitment to you.”

Netanyahu’s office posted on X on Sunday, “The ICC is a kangaroo court that has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis. Its bogus arrest warrant against Prime Minister Netanyahu was issued by a disgraced former ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan, a few days before allegations of sexual misconduct against him became public. It was a clear attempt by Khan to divert public attention and seek protection from scrutiny.

“Under Prime Minister Netanyahu’s leadership, Israel has taken unprecedented wartime measures to minimize harm to civilians while confronting Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization that uses Palestinians as human shields and deliberately targets innocent Israeli civilians,” Netanyahu’s office continued.

“Instead of backing Khan’s criminal behaviour, Mr. Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York. Like Karim Khan, Mamdani appears interested in diverting public attention from his follies and attacking the leader of the Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East.”

President Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday, writing, “Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America. He is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors, and has spent the last 47 years killing American Soldiers, and others. The only ones that should be arrested are the people that led Iran into this unprecedented SPIRAL OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION, something that should have been dealt with years ago, by previous Presidents!”