New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated on July 18, 2026, that he is evaluating whether the city has the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should the leader visit New York in September for the United Nations General Assembly [1, 2, 3]. Mamdani labeled Netanyahu a war criminal and called for him to be tried at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. "I believe Prime Minister Netanyahu should be sent to The Hague. He is a war criminal indicted by the International Criminal Court," Mamdani said [1]. He added, "The law allows me to do what I can in New York City, and we will do that" [4].
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024, accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israeli military actions in Gaza following the Hamas attacks of October 2023 [1, 4]. Mamdani urged the U.S. federal government to enforce the warrant, acknowledging that New York City likely cannot independently carry out the arrest [5]. Legal experts say an arrest by New York City alone is nearly impossible because the U.S. is not a signatory to the ICC Rome Statute and heads of state have diplomatic immunity during official UN visits [2, 6, 7, 3].
Netanyahu's office sharply condemned Mamdani's remarks, calling the ICC a "kangaroo court" without jurisdiction over Israel or the United States and accusing the mayor of distracting from local New York issues. "Mr. Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage caused by his policies to New York, rather than attacking the Jewish state and the Middle East's only democracy," said a statement from Netanyahu's team [4, 8]. Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon also criticized Mamdani for targeting Israel instead of addressing New York's challenges and rising antisemitism [4, 8].
U.S. officials affirmed the diplomatic immunity protecting Netanyahu during such visits. Former President Donald Trump said Netanyahu "will not be arrested in any form or fashion while in America" [9, 2]. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz called the mayor's proposal "pure political theater" and noted the U.S. is not a member of the ICC [7].
Mamadi, a Democratic Socialist known for his progressive stance and criticism of Israeli military actions, said he is consulting legal teams to act within city laws. The UN General Assembly will convene in New York in September 2026, and Netanyahu is expected to attend as he does annually [2, 10, 3].
