As Twitchy reported last week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that he was having an "active conversation" with his legal team about the possibility of arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he steps foot in the city in September for the UN General Assembly. Never mind U.S. law—Mamdani is following the will of the International Criminal Court, which has put out a warrant for Netanyahu's arrest for war crimes against the Palestinians.
On Monday, President Donald Trump made it clear on Truth Social that Netanyahu would not be arrested "in any way, shape, or form."
JUST IN - Trump declares that Netanyahu will not be arrested in the U.S. for any reason. pic.twitter.com/XDpRChW54b
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) July 20, 2026
We think Mamdani thinks a little too highly of his position as a mayor.
🇺🇸Reporter: "You serious about arresting Netanyahu?"
— InfoGram (@_InfoGram_) July 21, 2026
🇺🇸Mamdani: "100% Yes."
🇺🇸Reporter: "Trump said he won’t."
🇺🇸Zohran: Because he has an ICC warrant for war crimes. Trump can protect him. I won’t. I follow the law. No war criminals."
Zohran Mamdani is fire 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Wd9y3Va3Aj
The USA does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction over its citizens or officials.
— Jack Genesis (@Jovianmoon) July 21, 2026
In fact it is openly hostile to it.
Also the Americans will not allow foreign leaders to be arrested, they have immunity under international law.
So this guy is talking out his arse.
As our own Just Mindy reported, CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig called Mamdani's threats a joke and said it was "utterly ridiculous for the mayor of New York City to even suggest that he might have the authority to order the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu or any visiting foreign head of state."
Politico managed to get a Mamdani administration official to admit that "there’s no way in hell the admin is arresting Netanyahu."
“There’s no way in hell the admin is arresting Netanyahu. Not sure why we keep discussing it,” a senior Mamdani admin official said today after the mayor maintained his team's still exploring if NYC can cuff the Israeli PM.
— Chris Sommerfeldt (@C_Sommerfeldt) July 20, 2026
w/ @joeanuta & @leahessclark https://t.co/EMCT9BUAcS
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Joe Anuta, Chris Sommerfeldt, and Leah Clark report for Politico:
Mamdani’s office and the Law Department declined to point to any legal rationale that would empower the city to arrest Netanyahu. But a senior administration official, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the mayor, told Playbook there’s already a sense internally that the NYPD won’t attempt to arrest Netanyahu.
“There’s no way in hell the admin is arresting Netanyahu,” said the official. “Not sure why we keep discussing it.”
On the other hand, Mamdani’s continued focus on arresting Netanyahu serves a political purpose for him even if he can’t ultimately put the Israeli premier behind bars.
“Law and order leftism: arrest Benjamin Netanyahu,” Gustavo Gordillo, a co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America’s New York City chapter, wrote on X over the weekend in cheering on Mamdani’s comments.
So it's all performative nonsense for his fellow Democratic Socialists.
It's fodder for his low information followers.
— Reza Chowdhury (@RezaC1) July 20, 2026
Because like everything else the guy does, its performative. Its political theater, designed to make his ne'er do well laptop class base feel like he's fighting the evil Joos.
— TNizzle (@TNizzle621) July 21, 2026
He's pandering to his base, (and his wife) who hate the Jews.
— David Blinn (@DLBlinn61) July 21, 2026
His wife, Rama Duwaji, probably keeps nagging him to do something.
He keeps discussing it because his wife will cut him off if he doesn’t. They’re both Jew haters, but his wife is the queen of all Jew haters in New York City.
— Gman (@Gman61680822261) July 21, 2026
Because he hates Israel and this bullshit keeps him in the news and bolsters him with the crazies.
— Bob Kain (@NBBear2) July 21, 2026
Everybody, Mamdani included, knows he cannot arrest Netanyahu. He wants to keep "exploring" it so as not to disappoint his terrorist sympathizing fans.
— Haim (@h17253) July 21, 2026
He can "explore" it all he wants and have as many "active conversations" as he wants—it's not happening.
Political theater. All of it. Disgusting.
— Jimmy Otis #TruthMatters #EndCronyism (@james_j_otis) July 21, 2026
Mamdani puts the International Criminal Court above U.S. law: noted.
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