Zohran Mamdani Says New York Cannot Arrest Netanyahu but Calls on US to Enforce ICC Arrest Warrant,Zohran Mamdani calls on US to enforce ICC arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu
July 23, 2026
“He belongs before a court of law.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has delivered one of his strongest statements yet on the war in Gaza, calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people” and urging the U.S. government to enforce the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him.
Mamdani acknowledged that New York City does not have the legal authority to execute an ICC warrant on its own. But he argued that the federal government does and called on Washington to cooperate with the Court.
“Our administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law… It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.”
He highlighted the killing of over 73,000 Palestinians, amputations performed on children without anesthesia, targeted attacks on maternity wards, manufactured starvation, and the killing of hundreds of aid workers and journalists.
“Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City or as any other war criminal at large… We can decide whether our silence will become another weapon.”
No political leader should be above international law.
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Source: @nycmayor
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English Script:
Zohran Mamdani: Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people. He is responsible for the killing of more than 73,000 people, for the maiming of tens of thousands of children, as those who survive undergo amputation without anesthesia. For the targeting of neonatal hospitals and eternity care centers, denying newborns even the chance to live. For the countless people, he starved as he blocked food and humanitarian aid from reaching them, for the gunning down of hundreds of aid workers and journalists. And just last month, the UN confirmed that Palestinian children continue to be deliberately targeted and killed by Israeli armed forces, more than eight months after the so-called ceasefire. The list goes on and on. All as we as Americans pay for the bombs that do the killing. There is a reason the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest. As human beings, we have spent generations building a shared understanding that there are crimes so grave they offend all of humanity. Anyone with their eyes, with their heart, with their conscience, should recognize the devastation he has wrought and understand that he belongs before a court of law. As I’ve said, 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. My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here. It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant. And I want to be equally clear, Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City or as any other war criminal at large. While we cannot end the genocide on our own, we can decide whether our silence will become another weapon, and we can examine every tool we have to defend the humanity and dignity of all people. That is my commitment to you.
