Zohran Mamdani is in "active conversation" with the city's legal department over the legality of detaining the Israeli PM

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he is exploring the legal possibility of arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he travels to the city for the UN General Assembly in September.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, including "starvation as a method of warfare" and "other inhumane acts."

Mamdani, who has characterized Israel's military campaign in Gaza as genocide, vowed during his mayoral campaign last year to arrest Netanyahu if he visited New York. During an episode of The New York Times' The Interview podcast that aired on Saturday, the mayor was asked whether he still intended to fulfill that pledge.

"I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague," he responded, referring to the seat of the ICC. "He's a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court, and what you will find is that is an opinion that is held by many, purely because of what his actions have wrought over these last many years."

Accredited representatives of member states are generally granted diplomatic immunity while on official UN visits, but Mamdani said he was in "an active conversation" with the city's Law Department about potential legal options.

"Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that's what we will do," he said. "But we won't be writing our own laws to that end."

Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, accused Mamdani of failing to confront a "rising wave of antisemitism" and instead choosing to "incite hostility" against Israel. He confirmed that Netanyahu intends to address the General Assembly during its annual High-Level Week, scheduled for September 22-28, saying the mayor's position "will not change a thing."

"And if anyone should be arrested, it is NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani," the ambassador added in a post on X.

Netanyahu said in a recent radio interview that he was not concerned about Mamdani's threats to detain him, accusing the New York mayor of "championing" Hamas and hating America.

Neither the US nor Israel is a party to the ICC, while federal law prohibits state and local authorities from cooperating with requests from the court. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said last year that the mayor lacked the authority to arrest Netanyahu.