New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he is consulting with city attorneys to determine whether any legal authority exists to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York.

In an interview with The New York Times, Mamdani described Netanyahu as “a war criminal,” arguing that the Israeli leader belongs before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which has issued an arrest warrant for him.

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

Mamdani said he is in ongoing discussions with the city’s legal team to understand what powers, if any, the mayor’s office has in such a situation.

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

The comments drew swift criticism from Israeli officials.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, dismissed the remarks and said Mamdani should focus on governing New York City and addressing rising antisemitism rather than targeting Israel. Danon also said Prime Minister Netanyahu still intends to travel to New York for the U.N. General Assembly, adding that, in his view, “If anyone should be arrested, it is NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani.”

Israeli Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis likewise stated that the mayor has no legal authority to order the arrest of a foreign head of government and urged him to concentrate on city issues instead.

Laura Loomer: “New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is strategizing whether he has the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits in September. Imagine how safe the streets of New York would be if Zohran treated NYC’s actual criminals the same way he treats a foreign leader. This is yet another example of the Islamic communists embracing an America Last policy.”

This is not the first time Mamdani has made such comments. Before taking office in October 2025, he pledged to “exhaust every legal option” to seek Netanyahu’s arrest if the prime minister came to New York.

Mamdani has been a frequent critic of Israel throughout the war with Hamas. He accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza, criticized Israel’s response following the October 7 Hamas attack, and has faced criticism for declining to call for Hamas to disarm or explicitly condemn the phrase “globalize the Intifada.”

Mayor Mamdani: here’s why your threat to arrest PM Netanyahu’s in NYC during UNGA is not going to happen:
1. The U.S. is not party to the Rome Statute that underlies the ICC,
2. The UN Headquarters Agreement grants diplomatic protections to visiting heads of gov’t,
3.…

— Ambassador Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) July 18, 2026

Netanyahu, appearing on Sid Rosenberg’s radio show, claims Mamdani “champions” Hamas and “apologizes and accuses for Iran,

“He is with the terror actors… I think, secretly, he hates America.” pic.twitter.com/x2ILVvhAFX

— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) July 15, 2026

This isn’t a college protest. This is the City of New York.

Threatening to arrest the democratically elected leader of one of America’s closest allies during U.N. General Assembly week isn’t bold. It’s reckless.

American diplomats, service members, and officials are stationed… https://t.co/WQ5Axm0Klr

— Eric Adams (@ericadamsfornyc) July 19, 2026