New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani admits he does not have the “necessary legal authority” to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Tuesday July 21 that his administration did not have the legal capacity to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as he planned, and called on American federal authorities to act.

The elected Democrat had claimed to be leading discussions on the legal possibility of executing the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the Israeli leader if he came to the UN General Assembly in September.

“My administration has examined all available avenues”And “it is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority necessary to enforce this mandate”explained Zohran Mamdani in a brief video message posted on social networks. “The federal government, on the other hand, has it, and I call on it to join the ICC in carrying out this mandate”urged the mayor of New York.

Fervent critic

American President Donald Trump assured Monday that the Israeli Prime Minister, his ally in the war against Iran, would not be arrested in the United States, in reaction to the comments of Zohran Mamdani, of whom the Republican is a fervent critic.

The ICC, based in The Hague, issued arrest warrants in 2024 against Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip as part of the Israeli offensive after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

“Anyone, with their eyes, their heart, their conscience, should recognize the devastation they (Benyamin Netanyahu) caused and understand that he must appear in court”added the mayor in his video, repeating his comments published Saturday in the New York Timess and who had been condemned by the Israeli prime minister’s office. “I agree with the ICC that Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes, just as I would for any other person indicted by the ICC”he insisted.