NEW YORK (VINnews) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said his administration is reviewing whether the city has any legal authority to detain Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he travels to New York for the United Nations General Assembly later this year, according to The New York Times.

In an interview published Saturday by The New York Times, Mamdani said the city’s Law Department is examining what authority, if any, he has to direct the New York Police Department to act against Netanyahu, who is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. Israel rejects the allegations, and neither Israel nor the United States recognizes the court’s jurisdiction.

Mamdani said the city would act only within the bounds of the law and would not attempt to exercise powers it does not have, The New York Times reported.

The mayor’s comments differed from statements he made during last year’s campaign, when he said he would seek Netanyahu’s arrest if the Israeli leader visited New York.

Mamdani is failing to govern New York. Instead of focusing on his responsibilities as mayor and confronting the rising wave of antisemitism in his city, he has chosen to incite hostility and generate headlines by attacking the State of Israel.

It will not change a thing. Israeli… pic.twitter.com/kyHW6Yz1CA

— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) July 18, 2026

Legal experts told The New York Times that it remains unclear whether a New York City mayor has any authority to enforce an ICC warrant against a visiting foreign leader, particularly one attending meetings at the United Nations.

WATCH: NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he is in "an active conversation" with the city's Law Department about whether he has the authority to order the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York for the U.N. General Assembly.

"I believe that Prime… pic.twitter.com/GZJAfbvWGU

— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 18, 2026

Netanyahu dismissed Mamdani’s remarks during a radio interview this week, saying he was unconcerned and accusing the mayor of supporting Hamas, the terrorist group whose Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel sparked the war in Gaza. Mamdani has condemned the Oct. 7 attack while remaining a vocal critic of Israel’s military campaign.

Danny Danon also criticized Mamdani, saying the mayor should focus on combating antisemitism in New York rather than targeting Israel’s prime minister.

According to The New York Times, Mamdani also discussed immigration, policing and national politics during the interview, including expressing support for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as a potential presidential candidate.