Chicago – July 19, 2026
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani says he is still exploring legal avenues to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he visit the city for the United Nations General Assembly in September.
In an interview with The New York Times published Saturday, Mamdani stated he remains in “active conversation” with the city’s law department to determine whether he has the authority to order Netanyahu’s detention. The mayor, a democratic socialist who campaigned on arresting Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza, emphasized he would act only within existing legal frameworks.
“Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that’s what we will do, but we won’t be writing our own laws to that end,” Mamdani said. Netanyahu is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued in November 2024 for alleged crimes against humanity related to Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
Legal experts have called the pledge largely unenforceable, citing federal statutes that prohibit U.S. officials from cooperating with the ICC. Meanwhile, Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon insisted Netanyahu will attend the UNGA session regardless of the controversy.
