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New York City: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said his administration is reviewing whether it has the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September.

Speaking on The New York Times The Interview podcast with host Lulu Garcia-Navarro on Saturday, July 18, Mamdani said his administration was in “active conversation” with the city’s Law Department to determine whether the New York Police Department (NYPD) could detain the Israeli leader.

“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mamdani said, describing Netanyahu as a “war criminal” charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

However, he acknowledged that it remains unclear whether New York City has the legal authority to arrest a visiting foreign leader.

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“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,” he said.

Netanyahu is expected to travel to New York in September to attend the UN General Assembly (UNGA). Mamdani first pledged during his 2025 mayoral campaign to seek the Israeli prime minister’s arrest if he visited the city, citing the ICC warrant.

Israeli leaders reject remarks

Netanyahu dismissed Mamdani’s comments during a recent interview with radio host Sid Rosenberg on the programme *Sid & Friends in the Morning*, saying he was not concerned by the prospect of arrest. He also accused the New York mayor of supporting Hamas and defended Israel’s actions.

“I think he should look at who he’s condemning, who he’s praising,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel was “the one democracy that stands shoulder to shoulder with American values”.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, also rejected Mamdani’s remarks, saying they would not affect Netanyahu’s planned visit to New York.

“It will not change a thing,” Danon wrote on X. He said Netanyahu would travel to New York, address the UN General Assembly and present Israel’s position before the international community.

The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Israel rejects the allegations and does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction.