New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has withdrawn his earlier commitment to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should the leader visit the city. In a social media video released on Tuesday, Mamdani stated that his office does not possess independent legal authority to enforce the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Netanyahu, though he called on federal authorities to take such action.
The reversal came after the mayor’s recent interview with the New York Times on Saturday, in which he indicated his administration was in active discussions with law enforcement about potentially enforcing the ICC warrant. However, following a legal review of available options, Mamdani concluded that such enforcement authority rests solely with the federal government rather than municipal officials.
During his campaign for mayor, Mamdani had repeatedly characterized Netanyahu as a war criminal and referred to the Gaza conflict as genocide. He previously stated to the New York Times that he intended to order police to arrest Netanyahu upon arrival in the city, viewing such an action as honoring the ICC’s warrant. Netanyahu is anticipated to visit New York City in September for the UN General Assembly, where he is reportedly not welcome according to Mamdani’s statement.
The ICC issued its arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 regarding alleged war crimes in Gaza. The United States is not a member of the ICC, and President Donald Trump stated on Monday that Netanyahu would not face arrest while in the country. Trump’s statement cited Netanyahu’s opposition to what he characterized as hostile actions by Iran. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon responded to Mamdani’s earlier remarks by asserting that the mayor was elected to serve New Yorkers rather than advance what he called Hamas propaganda.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI