U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz sharply criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s declaration that he would work to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his upcoming visit to the city in September. Waltz made clear the threat won’t materialize due to diplomatic immunity and the fact that the U.S. is not party to the International Criminal Court, emphasizing: “Federal authority supersedes any local mayor’s wishful thinking.”
Following anti-Israel NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s announcement that he is searching for a “legal loophole” that would allow him to order Netanyahu’s arrest, Ambassador Waltz responded Saturday with a sharp rebuke, clarifying that “U.S. federal authority supersedes any local mayor’s wishful thinking.”
1+In a post on X, Waltz explained why the threat to arrest Netanyahu during the UN General Assembly in New York won’t happen, detailing several key reasons: First, the United States is not party to the Rome Statute that underlies the International Criminal Court. Second, the UN Headquarters Agreement grants diplomatic protections to visiting heads of government, including head-of-state immunity. Waltz also emphasized that “federal authority supersedes any local mayor’s wishful thinking” and called Mamdani’s threats “pure political theater.”
Mamdani, who has repeatedly spoken out against Israel in the past, said earlier today that he is in “active conversation” with the city’s legal department to examine whether he has authority to order police to arrest Netanyahu during his visit next September. In an interview with The New York Times, Mamdani said he believes “Prime Minister Netanyahu’s place is in The Hague” and that he is a “war criminal,” but acknowledged he would only act within the authority the law grants him.
1+Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon also responded sharply, accusing Mamdani of failing to manage the city and choosing to engage in incitement against Israel instead of confronting antisemitism in its streets. Danon added that “if anyone needs to be arrested—it’s Mayor Mamdani himself.” Mamdani had previously pledged to work toward arresting Netanyahu based on the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in 2024, even though the United States does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction and is not obligated to enforce its decisions.