Istanbul / Khaled Youssef / Anadolu

New York Mayor Zaharan Mamdani said Saturday that his administration is examining whether it has the authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city.

He explained that his administration is consulting with the city's legal counsel regarding the possibility of executing the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Netanyahu, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

This comes ahead of an expected visit by Netanyahu to New York in September to participate in the United Nations General Assembly meetings.

This represents a shift from an election pledge Mamdani made during his 2025 mayoral campaign to legal consultations on the limits of his administration's authority and the possibility of executing the warrant.

The New York Times quoted Mamdani as saying his administration is conducting 'active discussions' with the city's legal counsel on the matter.

He added: 'We will do everything the law allows us to do in New York City, but we will not make our own laws for that.'

Mamdani had previously announced during his 2025 election campaign his intention to instruct the New York police to arrest Netanyahu if he visits the city, based on the ICC arrest warrant.

Mamdani also said in previous statements that he believes 'Netanyahu's place is in The Hague,' the seat of the ICC in the Netherlands, calling him a 'war criminal.'

On November 21, 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu, citing reasonable grounds to believe he is responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The charges include using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, as well as murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.

The charges relate to acts committed between at least October 8, 2023, and May 20, 2024, according to the court.

No conviction has been issued against Netanyahu; he remains wanted under the arrest warrant, while Israel rejects the court's jurisdiction and the charges against him.

However, the possibility of executing the warrant in New York faces legal obstacles, as the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute that established the ICC.

For his part, Israeli Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis said the city's mayor does not have the authority to order the arrest of the Israeli prime minister.

Akunis added, according to the Hebrew newspaper Ma'ariv: 'Instead of delving into matters he has no authority to intervene in, it would be better for him to manage New York City.'

Netanyahu has previously said he is not concerned about Mamdani's pledge to arrest him, and that he will visit New York despite the mayor's stance, also accusing him of supporting Hamas.

In response, Mamdani has repeatedly affirmed his rejection of anti-Semitism and pledged to protect the Jewish community in New York, distinguishing between his criticism of Israeli government policies and his stance on Jews.

Since the start of the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on October 8, 2023, Israel has killed 73,269 Palestinians and wounded 173,811 others, according to the latest figures announced by the Health Ministry in the Strip on Saturday.

The war has also left widespread destruction, affecting about 90 percent of the civilian infrastructure in Gaza.

Mamdani won the New York mayoral election in November 2025 and took office in early January 2026.

Thus, he became the first Muslim and first South Asian American to serve as mayor of New York City, which is home to one of the largest Jewish communities outside Israel.