New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani used a podcast appearance to demand that the federal government arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under a 2024 International Criminal Court warrant, declaring that the United States should join the court and carry it out. In the same breath, Mamdani admitted he has no personal power to make that happen, a reversal from a campaign-trail vow that once promised a very different outcome if Netanyahu ever set foot in the five boroughs.
In a social-media video posted in July, Mamdani said, “I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant,” according to the BBC. During the Theo Von interview, he said the U.S. should join the ICC and enforce its warrants. Mamdani also acknowledged, “we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this.” The comments mark a retreat from his earlier pledge, cited by the BBC, that he would order police to arrest Netanyahu if the Israeli leader arrived in the city.
Mamdani made the remarks in an interview with podcast host Theo Von this past weekend, according to the seed reporting from the New York Post. Von responded to Mamdani's call with “f–k yeah,” per that same account. The Post, whose reporting on the exchange anchors much of this story, also noted that US officials had described the ICC warrant as shameful, unserious and troubling when it was issued in November 2024.
A Campaign Pledge Walked Back
Mamdani's position has shifted markedly since his mayoral run, when he vowed to have Netanyahu arrested if the prime minister entered New York. By July 2026, he had reversed course, telling reporters he had looked into the legal avenues and concluded after a few days that he could not legally follow through, according to the Jerusalem Post. The Hindustan Times likewise reported that Mamdani, who had campaigned on the arrest promise, had already conceded he had no power to carry it out.
CNN reported that on September 21, 2026, Mamdani again called Netanyahu a war criminal while acknowledging he does not have the power to arrest him. The Jerusalem Post separately quoted Mamdani describing Netanyahu as “a war criminal and an architect of a horrific genocide of the Palestinian people.”
Netanyahu's UN Visit and Pointed Criticism
The exchange unfolded against the backdrop of Netanyahu's trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September 2026. The Jerusalem Post reported the Israeli leader's itinerary was compressed, with plans for him to arrive Thursday morning, address the UNGA at 2 p.m., and return to Israel soon afterward. The Associated Press reported that Netanyahu's UN trip would be brief after Mamdani called for his arrest.
During his UN remarks, Netanyahu criticized Mamdani, claiming Jews no longer feel safe in New York City under his leadership and accusing the mayor of calling Israel a genocidal state in Gaza. Mamdani pushed back, telling the Washington Examiner that Netanyahu's attacks were an attempt “to distract from responsibility” and that the Israeli leader was trying to shift attention away from the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Jerusalem Post also noted that protests were expected during Netanyahu's visit, though Mamdani said he had no plans to join them.
Why the Warrant Can't Simply Be Enforced
The ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber I issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant on November 21, 2024, alleging crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least October 8, 2023, through at least May 20, 2024, according to a statement from the International Criminal Court. The court said Israel's acceptance of its jurisdiction was not required for the case to proceed, because it could exercise territorial jurisdiction based on Palestine. The alleged crimes identified included starvation as a method of warfare, murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.
Neither the United States nor Israel is a member of the ICC, and the court can generally only prosecute crimes committed by nationals of member states or on member-state territory. President Donald Trump has said Netanyahu would not be “arrested, in any way, shape or form” while in the US, the BBC reported, underscoring the gap between Mamdani's rhetoric and any realistic path to enforcement.
Shifting Democratic Sentiment on Israel
Mamdani's remarks land amid a broader shift in Democratic attitudes toward US support for Israel. A recent poll cited by the BBC found that 58% of Democrats now believe the United States is too supportive of Israel, up from 45% in 2024 — a swing that helps explain why a sitting mayor would publicly press Washington to enforce an international warrant he cannot enforce himself.
