New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has reaffirmed his threat to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city for the United Nations General Assembly, insisting he is still consulting with his legal team on the matter.

Despite the General Assembly scheduled to begin in less than two months, Mamdani has maintained his position, saying his administration is exploring the legal implications of taking action against the Israeli leader upon his arrival in New York.

“I believe that when someone is charged with an International Criminal Court warrant, it’s something that should be taken seriously, whether it’s Benjamin Netanyahu or it’s Vladimir Putin or whomever else,” Mamdani said. “What I’ve also made clear is that my administration will follow all applicable local laws.”

However, CBS News reported that no local law gives the New York City mayor the authority to arrest a foreign head of state. Under U.S. federal law, foreign policy and diplomatic relations fall within the federal government’s jurisdiction, while leaders attending the UN are protected by absolute diplomatic immunity.

The report added that Mamdani has no legal authority to arrest Netanyahu, noting that any attempt to do so would require intervention by federal agents.

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Kean University Provost David Birdsell said the United States does not recognise the International Criminal Court’s authority over American citizens, adding that the city has no role in determining such matters.

“The federal government gets to determine the foreign policy of the United States and certainly not cities,” Birdsell said. “It’s very clear the mayor does not have the authority to arrest.”

U.S. President Donald Trump also dismissed Mamdani’s remarks, insisting the Israeli prime minister would not face arrest while in the country.

“Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” the president said on social media. “He is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors, and has spent the last 47 years killing American soldiers, and others. The only ones that should be arrested are the people that led Iran into this unprecedented spiral of death and destruction.”

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon also condemned Mamdani’s remarks, accusing the mayor of making threats beyond his legal powers.

“The person who should be arrested is not our prime minister, it is you, Mr. Mamdani,” Danon said. “The same mayor who continues to fuel antisemitism across New York, and now, the same mayor who threatens Israel’s prime minister with arrest powers he does not have.”

(CBS News)