ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Mamdani's response Case In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alleging Netanyahu is 'responsible for the war crimes of starvation as a method of warfare and of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population' in Gaza. Israel disputes and rejects the charges. Neither the US nor Israel is a signatory to the Rome Statute establishing the ICC's jurisdiction, though the court asserts jurisdiction over Palestinian territories, which it recognizes as a Rome Statute party. Documentation The Trump administration signed an executive order sanctioning the ICC in response to the warrant and has stated Netanyahu will not be arrested in the US. As a mayoral candidate and after taking office, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani repeatedly said the city should honor the ICC warrant if Netanyahu visited, calling him a 'war criminal' and, in a July 2026 statement, 'the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.' In July 2026, after Trump publicly stated Netanyahu would not be arrested in the US, Mamdani announced his administration had reviewed the matter and concluded New York City does not have independent legal authority to execute the ICC warrant itself - only the federal government does. He called on the federal government to do so. Mamdani said he would not create a new city law to enable an arrest and would work only within existing legal authority; he separately stated Netanyahu is 'not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large.' Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon publicly criticized Mamdani's stance; Netanyahu said in July 2026 he intends to travel to New York regardless to address the UN General Assembly. Note The ICC case against Netanyahu has not gone to trial, and experts doubt any U.S. city could have executed the warrant. Sources [1] Fox News (https://www.foxnews.com/media/flashback-nyc-mayoral-candidate-zohran-mamdani-vowed-arrest-netanyahu-he-visited-city.print) [2] CNBC (https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/20/trump-netanyahu-arrest-mamdani-new-york-israel.html) [3] Al Jazeera (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/26/netanyahu-vows-to-go-to-new-york-city-despite-icc-arrest-warrant-mamdani) [4] NPR (https://www.npr.org/2026/07/22/g-s1-134880/mamdani-nyc-netanyahu) [5] PBS (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/mamdani-says-nyc-cant-arrest-netanyahu-but-the-federal-government-should) Connections Same actor — Trump and Zohran Mamdani: from threats to cordial meetings (2025–2026) Both involve Mamdani's public positions as mayor-elect and mayor. Related — US policy toward Israel amid mounting genocide allegations in Gaza Both concern US-Israel policy and the Gaza war; the ICC warrant for Netanyahu is a direct downstream consequence of the same conduct.