New York mayor admits city cannot arrest Netanyahu, urges US to enforce ICC warrant

The ICC warrant

In November 2024 the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant. The court accused them of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including "starvation as a method of warfare, and... murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts" during the military campaign in Gaza. Neither the United States nor Israel are members of the ICC, and Washington has long opposed the court. Secretary of State Marco Rubio this month threatened to "dismantle" it by pressuring other nations to abandon the institution.

A campaign pledge collides with the law

During his 2025 mayoral campaign, Zohran Mamdani promised to arrest Netanyahu if the Israeli leader set foot in New York. Last week, as Netanyahu's expected attendance at the UN General Assembly in September drew closer, Mamdani told the New York Times he was "in conversation" with city lawyers to determine whether his administration could act.

I believe that Prime minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague.

On Tuesday 21 July, Mamdani released a video on social media announcing the outcome of that legal review. "My administration has examined all available avenues," he said, and "it is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant." The mayor called Netanyahu a "war criminal" and "the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people," adding that he is "not welcome in New York City."

The appeal to Washington

Having conceded the city's powerlessness, Mamdani redirected his demand to the federal government. "The federal government, however, does have that authority, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant," he said in the video. At a press conference on Wednesday 22 July, he repeated the call.

I call on the federal government to join the international criminal court and to execute both this warrant as well as any warrant the international criminal court holds.

Trump's pre-emptive rejection

President Donald Trump had already shut the door. On Monday 20 July, a day before Mamdani's video, Trump posted on social media that Netanyahu "will not be arrested" on US soil. The White House has consistently refused to recognise the ICC's jurisdiction, and Trump's statement left no room for the mayor's request. The Israeli prime minister's office had also condemned Mamdani's earlier remarks to the New York Times.

What happens next

Mamdani's admission closes the door on any local enforcement of the ICC warrant, but the mayor is using the episode to pressure the Trump administration and keep the court's legitimacy in the public conversation. Netanyahu is still expected to travel to New York for the UN General Assembly in September, and the US government has made clear he will not face detention. The standoff leaves the ICC warrant unenforced on American territory while the mayor continues to voice support for the court.