Mamdani abandons the attempt to arrest Netanyahu due to a lack of legal authority.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani backtracked on his promise to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu during a possible visit to the city, acknowledging Tuesday that he lacked the necessary legal framework.

A few days after claiming to be having "active conversations" with law enforcement regarding the execution of the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against the Israeli Prime Minister, Zohran Mamdani has revised his position. In a video posted on social media, the New York mayor indicated that his team had examined "all available avenues" and concluded that they lacked "the independent legal authority" to act.

Mamdani, however, maintained the pressure on Washington. "The federal government has the capacity to do so," he stated, calling on US authorities to join the ICC and execute the warrant. He also clarified that Netanyahu was "not welcome" in New York, where the Israeli Prime Minister is expected in September for the United Nations General Assembly.

The ICC issued this arrest warrant in 2024, targeting Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza, as well as a Hamas commander. The Court has jurisdiction to prosecute alleged perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed within the territory of States Parties to the Rome Statute. However, the United States is not a member, which makes any arrest on its soil under this framework technically impossible.

Donald Trump reacted strongly to the mayor's initial statements. On Truth Social Monday, he asserted that Netanyahu would not be arrested "in any way, under any circumstances" in the United States, defending the Israeli leader in the name of his fight against Iran. Meanwhile, Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, told Mamdani: "You were elected to serve New Yorkers, not Hamas propaganda."

These exchanges come amid a shift in Democratic opinion on the Gaza conflict. A recent poll indicates that 58% of Democratic voters believe the United States provides too much support to Israel, compared to 45% projected for 2024. Mamdani, who called Netanyahu a war criminal throughout his mayoral campaign, said he was convinced that the Israeli prime minister "belongs to The Hague."