Mamdani acknowledges that NYC doesn't have legal authority to arrest Israeli PM Netanyahu

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani acknowledged late Tuesday that the city lacks the authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Bejanim Netanyahu. 

During his mayoral campaign last year, Mamdani promised that if Netanyahu set foot in New York City, his administration would enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant that alleges the prime minister committed war crimes against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, CBS News reported. 

In recent days, Mamdani stood by his threat, saying the city would "follow all applicable local laws" if Mamdani visited the city for the United Nations General Assembly this fall. In a video posted on social media on Tuesday, Mamdani said the city determined it could not legally arrest the Israeli prime minister. 

"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," Mamdani said. 

The New York City mayor called on the federal government to arrest Netanyahu and called him a "war criminal" and the "architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people."

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon condemned Mamdani's statement in a post on X, calling the mayor's statements "blood libel." 

"You were elected to serve New Yorkers, not Hamas’ propaganda," Danon said.