New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said the city does not have the legal authority to enforce the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a video posted on social media on Tuesday, Mamdani said his administration had reviewed all available legal options to determine whether New York City could execute the warrant if Netanyahu visited the city.
According to him, the review concluded that the city lacks the independent legal authority to carry out such an arrest.
However, Mamdani stated that the US federal government has the power to enforce the warrant and urged federal authorities to act if Netanyahu enters the country.
The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu in 2024, saying there were reasonable grounds to believe he was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Netanyahu would not face arrest if he attends the United Nations General Assembly in New York this September.
Mamdani maintained that he supports the ICC’s position, saying anyone charged by the court should face trial.
“I agree with the ICC that Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes, as I do for anyone else charged by the ICC,” he said.
In response, Netanyahu’s office rejected Mamdani’s comments and dismissed the ICC as a “kangaroo court.”
Source: AFP.
