Mulling Netanyahu’s arrest during UN meet, says Mamdani
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani considers whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be arrested during an upcoming United Nations summit, citing an International Criminal Court charge and consulting the city legal team on New York Police Department authority.
- Zohran Mamdani said he is consulting the city legal team on the New York Police Department’s authority over the arrest question.
- Israel’s UN ambassador accused Zohran Mamdani of inciting hostility and of failing to focus on antisemitism in New York.
What happened
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he is considering whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be arrested during an upcoming United Nations summit in New York. Mamdani said Netanyahu belongs in The Hague and described him as a war criminal charged by the International Criminal Court.
Mamdani also said he is unsure what authority he has over the New York Police Department and that he is consulting the city’s legal team. Israel’s UN ambassador responded sharply, accusing Mamdani of inciting hostility and of failing to focus on antisemitism in New York.
UPSC may use Zohran Mamdani’s remarks to test the legal and diplomatic tension between domestic policing powers, municipal authority, immunity questions around visiting heads of government, and the role of the United Nations system and the International Criminal Court in accountability for alleged war crimes.
