New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in an interview published Saturday that he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested for war crimes if he visits the city in September for the United Nations General Assembly but insisted he would act only within the law.

Mamdani said he is in an “active conversation” with the city’s legal department over what steps, if any, the mayor’s office could take, and added that he would not try to rewrite the law to reach that outcome.

Also Read | Iran hardliners accuse leaders of ‘coup’ after Khamenei funeral exposes deep rift

Between principle and legal power

Mamdani made the comments in an interview with The New York Times’ podcast host Lulu Garcia-Navarro on “The Interview.”

Asked about his earlier campaign pledge to arrest Netanyahu, Mamdani said, “I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court.”

He also said, “Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that’s what we will do, but we won’t be writing our own laws to that end.”

The remarks come against the backdrop of the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over allegations tied to the Gaza war, which Israel has rejected.

How did Israel respond?

The comments quickly drew a sharp response from Israeli officials. Netanyahu, speaking on a radio show, accused Mamdani of supporting Hamas and said the mayor should look at “who he’s condemning” and “who he’s praising.”

Israel’s consul general in New York, Ofir Akunis, said Mamdani had “no authority” to call for Netanyahu’s arrest and argued that he should focus on running New York City.

Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, said Netanyahu would still travel to New York, address the General Assembly, and “stand before the world” to state Israel’s position, adding that if anyone should be arrested, “it is NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani.”

The promise that refuses to fade

Mamdani has raised the issue before. During his mayoral campaign in 2025, he said he would order the NYPD to arrest Netanyahu if the Israeli leader came to the city, a pledge he linked to the ICC warrant.

In the latest interview, however, Mamdani softened that formulation by stressing that he would follow the law and work only within whatever powers the city legally has.

Netanyahu, for his part, has said he is not concerned by the threat and has indicated he does not intend to be deterred from attending the UN gathering in New York.

Also Read | Iraq signs 48 US deals after PM says ‘Everybody who has a project can come and talk to us’

FAQs

Q1: Why did Zohran Mamdani say Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested?

Zohran Mamdani said he believes Benjamin Netanyahu should face the International Criminal Court warrant and has said he is reviewing what legal authority, if any, New York City has if the Israeli prime minister visits.

Q2: Is Benjamin Netanyahu expected to attend the UN General Assembly in New York?

Yes, Israeli officials have said Netanyahu intends to travel to New York and address the UN General Assembly despite the controversy.