New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has publicly declared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal and called on the US federal government to enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him — while conceding that his own administration does not have the legal authority to do so.

In a video statement posted to social media on Tuesday, Mamdani said his office had reviewed "every avenue available under applicable law" to determine whether New York City could execute the ICC's warrant if Netanyahu visited the city for September's United Nations General Assembly. "It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant," Mamdani said. "The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant." The statement followed days of public speculation after Mamdani, New York's first Muslim mayor, said in a weekend podcast interview that he was in "active conversation" with the city's law department about the matter.

The ICC, based in The Hague, issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024, finding reasonable grounds to believe he bore responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza — including the use of starvation as a method of warfare — following Hamas's October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. The United States is not a party to the ICC and does not recognise its authority. President Donald Trump has imposed economic sanctions on the court and vowed that Netanyahu would not face arrest if he attended the UN summit. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has gone further, vowing to "dismantle" the court entirely.

Netanyahu's office dismissed Mamdani's position, calling the ICC a "kangaroo court," while Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon said Netanyahu would attend the General Assembly "with pride." Trump's UN envoy Mike Waltz described Mamdani's earlier arrest threat as "pure political theater." Netanyahu himself alleged, without evidence Mamdani accepts, that the mayor supports Hamas — a charge Mamdani rejects.

The episode reflects a broader shift in American political debate over the Gaza conflict. Mamdani noted that close to half of House Democrats recently voted to strip $3.3 billion in military aid to Israel — a measure that failed but signalled eroding unconditional support. For now, the legal reality is clear: enforcing international criminal law against a sitting foreign leader on US soil remains a matter for Washington, not City Hall.