New York mayor says he is reviewing whether he can order Netanyahu’s arrest

NEW YORK: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he is in discussions with the city’s Law Department over whether he has the authority to direct the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city.

Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court over allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare, during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Speaking this week on The New York Times’ The Interview, published on Saturday, Mamdani said Netanyahu should face international justice.

Mamdani said he believed the Israeli premier should be in The Hague and described him as a war criminal who has been charged by the ICC. He added that many people hold that view because of the consequences of Netanyahu’s actions over recent years. At the same time, the mayor said he was unsure whether he could legally instruct the New York Police Department, which falls under his authority, to detain a foreign head of government.

Referring to the legal review now under way, Mamdani said his administration was examining the issue ahead of Netanyahu’s expected visit to New York in September for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. He said any action would depend on what the law permits and made clear that the city would not act beyond its legal powers.

Mamdani had taken a firmer public position during his mayoral campaign in September 2025, when he said he would direct the NYPD to arrest Netanyahu if he came to the city. At the time, he said he intended to carry that out and called the Israeli prime minister a war criminal who was committing genocide in Gaza.

Netanyahu, according to The New York Times report, dismissed Mamdani’s earlier threat and said he was not worried by it. In an interview this week with Sid Rosenberg, whom The New York Times described as a frequent critic of Mamdani, Netanyahu also accused the mayor of backing Hamas.

Mamdani had previously denounced pro-Hamas chants in January and described the Palestinian group as a terrorist organisation after facing criticism from some quarters.

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is also facing an election set for October 27 that many consider a defining test of his political future. He is already on trial in a long-running corruption case and has led Israeli military operations on several fronts that have drawn international criticism.