NYC Mayor Mamdani calls Netanyahu 'war criminal' but admits he can't arrest him during UN visit

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted a video on Wednesday entitled “Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal,” accusing him of "genocide" and blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza before admitting that, contrary to previous declarations, he doesn't have the power to arrest the Israeli prime minister.

Mamdani had said he would arrange to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits New York in September for the annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) meeting. Netanyahu responded by counseling Mamdani to "focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York,” noting he "appears interested in diverting public attention from his follies."

In the new video, Mamdani charged that Netanyahu is “responsible for the killing of more than 73,000 people and the “maiming of tens of thousands of children,” arguing that “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.”

The NYC mayor said the allegations against Netanyahu justified the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant. However, he acknowledged that despite having “reviewed every avenue available” to enforce the warrant during Netanyahu’s visit to New York, “it is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant.”

Mamdani urged the U.S. Federal Government to correct what he saw as an error by signing the ICC charter and giving the court jurisdiction in the United States.

He concluded his video address by declaring that although he didn’t have the power to arrest him, Netanyahu “is not welcome in New York City.”

The video was published after several days of debate over Mamdani’s stated intention to act on the ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu, which drew both praise and criticism from U.S. officials. Israeli officials also responded, with Netanyahu accusing Mamdani of using the issue to distract from his own policy failures.

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon responded during a special UN General Assembly meeting on Saturday, criticizing Mamdani’s remarks and accusing him of supporting terrorism.

“Mr. Mamdani, you have chosen collaboration with terror,” Danon said. “I have news for you: Your threat has no legal basis. It’s only a political theatre designed to excite your radical base and distract from your failures in running this city. The person who should be arrested is you, Mr. Mamdani, for siding with terrorists.”

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) also weighed in during an interview on the Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures.”

“Well, [he’s] such a tough guy to say that kind of thing,” Fetterman said, referring to Mamdani. “He has no way to do that. Of course, obviously, America’s not even part of that corrupt (ICC) court.”

He said Mamdani should “just sit down and focus on other … problems that they have in New York. That’s really not your purview. You and I know that. Sit down.”

However, the controversy surrounding Mamdani’s comments prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to address the issue publicly on Monday, stating that Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America.”