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One of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises as a candidate last year was to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visited the city.
On Tuesday, however, Mamdani finally acknowledged he lacked the power to do so.
In a video posted to social media, Mamdani said his team had examined every legal option available and concluded the city had no legal authority to arrest the Israeli prime minister on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for war crimes charges.
Nevertheless, Mamdani used his platform to re-amplify libelous claims against Netanyahu and the State of Israel.
“Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large,” Mamdani said, calling the Israeli leader “the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.”
Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal. pic.twitter.com/YRezmW6YVx
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 22, 2026
Netanyahu is expected to travel to New York City in September for the annual UN General Assembly session.
In his video message, Mamdani urged the federal government to detain Netanyahu, a notion already dismissed earlier this week by President Donald Trump, who vowed Netanyahu would “not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America.”
Responding to Mamdani, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon posted on X on Tuesday, “Zohran Mamdani, ENOUGH. Enough with the blood libels. Enough with the attacks on Jewish organizations. Enough with the outreach to the Iranian regime. You were elected to serve New Yorkers, not Hamas’ propaganda. Do your job!”
Read more:
NYC Mayor Mamdani Put ‘Bullseye on Jewish Community’ With Remarks Calling AIPAC ‘Monsters,’ CAM Says
Mamdani Becomes First New York City Mayor in More Than 60 Years to Skip Israel Day Parade
New York City Mayor Mamdani’s ‘Nakba Day’ Post Denounced by Jewish Community
Zohran Mamdani: When ‘Globalize the Intifada’ Reaches Elected Office
