Read our feature article on Zohran Mamdani’s election here.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has stated that his administration lacks the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, retreating from a campaign pledge to honor the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant if Netanyahu entered the city.
The reversal comes ahead of Netanyahu’s expected visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September.
In late July, Mamdani said he was “in active conversation” with the city’s Law Department to explore whether the mayor’s office could enforce the ICC warrant. Days later, he released a video stating that New York City has no legal authority to execute the arrest. He again described Netanyahu as a war criminal and condemned Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people.
After the video was released, a reporter asked whether he would also seek the arrest of Hamas leaders if they came to New York. Mamdani responded that his position reflected “a universal politics,” arguing that all ICC warrants should be enforced. He said he would therefore support the arrest of both the genocidal Prime Minister Netanyahu and the heroic martyr who opposed him, Yahya Sinwar.
Mamdani has repeatedly condemned Israel’s assault on Gaza while also condemning the Palestinian resistance fighting it. His statements frame responsibility primarily around Netanyahu and his government rather than the Zionist state itself.
Mamdani’s supporters have praised him for “drawing attention” to Netanyahu’s crimes and the ICC warrant. However, since 2023, popular support for the Zionist entity has plummeted due to the successful armed struggle of the Palestinian resistance as well as international solidarity actions in support of Palestinian liberation. Mamdani’s mayoral victory was predicated in part on diverting the Palestine solidarity movement behind the party most responsible for enabling the US-Israeli genocide—the Democratic mafia—while himself propagating liberal-Zionist views representing a step backward from the actual solidarity advanced by the pro-Palestine movement.
Mamdani’s administration has powers that extend beyond public statements that equate those carrying out genocide to those resisting genocide. As mayor, he could order the NYPD to not cooperate with Netanyahu’s security detail, declining to protect his motorcade and accommodations; he could move to stop New York City’s facilitation of illegal land sales in occupied Palestine; and pursue divestment of city funds from companies tied to Israel.
Image: Zohran Mamdani at a rally in October 2024. Credit: Bingjiefu He.
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