New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the city lacks the legal authority to enforce the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for radical Israeli regime leader Benjamin Netanyahu, but urged the US federal government to execute the warrant if Netanyahu visits the United States.

In a video posted on X late Tuesday, Mamdani described Netanyahu as a “war criminal” and said he was not welcome in New York City.

“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant,” Mamdani said.

“The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.”

His remarks came weeks after he told The New York Times that his administration and the city’s legal department were exploring whether New York authorities could arrest Netanyahu if he attended the UN General Assembly in September.

US President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed the possibility, saying in a social media post that Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America.”

During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani had repeatedly pledged to seek Netanyahu’s arrest under the ICC warrant if the Israeli leader travelled to New York.

However, he said his administration’s legal review had concluded that the city does not have the independent authority to carry out such an arrest.

“I want to be equally clear, Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large,” he added.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, criticised Mamdani’s remarks, accusing him of promoting Hamas’ narrative.

The ICC issued arrest warrants in 2024 for Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant over crimes against humanity linked to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

The court alleges there are reasonable grounds to believe the two officials used starvation as a method of warfare by restricting humanitarian assistance and intentionally targeting civilians during the conflict.