New York City Mayor Mamdani holds talks regarding the arrest of the Israeli Prime Minister during a visit to New York City
A suggestion by New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani that his administration is considering whether it could move against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the UN General Assembly drew a sharp reaction from US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, who dismissed the idea as legally indefensible.“Mayor Mamdani. This is why your threat to arrest PM Netanyahu in New York City during the UN General Assembly will not happen,” Waltz wrote on Channel X on Saturday, calling the proposal “pure political theatre.”
He said that American law and international agreements leave no room for such a step.“The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, which forms the basis for the International Criminal Court. The UN Headquarters Agreement grants diplomatic protection to visiting heads of government.
“Head of state immunity applies, and federal authority trumps the wishes of any local mayor.”The UN General Assembly is scheduled to be held in New York in early September, and Netanyahu is expected to attend.
Waltz cites diplomatic immunity
Waltz said the New York City mayor has no legal authority to issue an arrest warrant for a visiting foreign head of government who is protected by diplomatic immunity.His comments came days after Mamdani’s New York Times That his administration was consulting with the city’s legal department to determine whether there was any legal authority to detain Netanyahu if he visited New York.
However, Mamdani acknowledged that any action would have to remain within the confines of current law.“Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that is what we will do, but we will not write our own laws to that end,” he said.The mayor repeated his criticism of the Israeli leader, saying: “I think Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. He is a war criminal indicted by the International Criminal Court.”
The Israeli envoy attacks Mamdani
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, also criticized Mamdani, saying the mayor should focus on governing New York rather than making statements about foreign policy.“If anyone should be arrested, it is New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani,” Danon said.The mayor was accused of neglecting internal issues while targeting Israel. “Mamdani is failing to govern New York. Instead of focusing on his responsibilities as mayor and confronting the rising tide of anti-Semitism in his city, he chose to incite hostility and make headlines by attacking the State of Israel.”Danon also insisted that Netanyahu’s planned visit would go ahead as scheduled.He added, “This will not change anything. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will come to New York and address the United Nations General Assembly with pride and stand before the world to declare the truth about Israel and its inalienable right to defend its citizens.”The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.Netanyahu’s government described the ICC’s accusations as “ridiculous and false,” stressing that Israeli military operations comply with international law and are carried out in self-defense.
