Mamdani admits inability to arrest Netanyahu and calls for street protests
After promising to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon his arrival in New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani was forced to admit he lacks the authority to do so. With the arrest threat now off the table, he is shifting his focus to organizing street protests against the Prime Minister.
After promising to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon his arrival in New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani was forced to admit that he has no authority to do so. Now that the arrest threat has fallen, he is marking the streets as the next arena against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"I think the bedrocks of our city is protest."
Zohran Mamdani says New Yorkers should take to the streets when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits for the U.N. General Assembly this September.
During a press conference held at New York City Hall, Mamdani was asked how city residents should respond to Netanyahu's expected visit, and he replied: "I think the bedrocks of our city is protest." According to him, residents who feel "frustration or opposition" are allowed to go out and demonstrate.
The call comes shortly after Mamdani was forced to retreat from one of his defiant promises. During his mayoral campaign, he declared that he would work to arrest Netanyahu, arguing that the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in The Hague should be enforced.
However, after legal consultation, Mamdani admitted that the New York City government and the local police have no independent authority to enforce the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. The United States is not a member, and U.S. law does not require local authorities to execute its orders. Furthermore, Netanyahu's visit as part of the U.N. General Assembly raises issues of immunity and diplomatic status, which are primarily under the authority of the federal government.
Despite this, Mamdani did not retract his attack on the Prime Minister. In a video he posted on social media, he called Netanyahu a "war criminal," claimed he is not welcome in New York, and called on the federal government to join the court in The Hague. President Donald Trump, on the other hand, made it clear that Netanyahu will not be arrested while in the United States.
Now that it has become clear that his arrest threat has no legal basis, Mamdani is shifting the campaign to the streets. His critics warn that this is a move that could ignite the situation, exacerbate tensions in the city, and create dangerous friction points precisely during a sensitive and highly secured visit.
