New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is exploring whether the city has the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Mamdani called Netanyahu a “war criminal” who “belongs in the Hague” and said his administration is in an “active conversation” with the city’s Law Department over what legal authority New York City possesses should the Israeli prime minister travel to the city.

International Arrest Warrant

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024, over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity tied to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Israel has rejected the allegations and disputes the court’s jurisdiction, while the U.S. is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz slammed Mamdani’s remarks as “pure political theater,” saying the mayor has no legal authority to arrest Netanyahu. Waltz argued that the U.S. is not party to the ICC’s founding treaty, the U.N. Headquarters Agreement protects visiting heads of government, head-of-state immunity applies, and “federal authority trumps any local mayor’s wishes.”

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.