A Fox Business commentator stated on air that if Zohran Mamdani follows through on his statement and tries to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York, he could face federal criminal proceedings and even prison time. According to the analyst, American law grants Netanyahu explicit protections and bars local authorities from cooperating with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
During the “Kudlow” program hosted by Larry Kudlow on Fox Business, Marc Thiessen addressed Mamdani’s threats to arrest Netanyahu if he comes to New York, following arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court.
According to Thiessen, two federal laws could make any such attempt a criminal offense by Mamdani himself. The first is 22 U.S. Code §7423, which he says prohibits state or local authorities in the United States from cooperating with the International Criminal Court regarding U.S. allies.
1+The second law he pointed to is 18 U.S. Code §112, which deals with protection of foreign officials, official guests, and internationally protected persons. Thiessen argued that Netanyahu falls into these categories, and therefore any attempt to arrest or detain him could be considered a federal offense.
According to Thiessen, the public threats by Mamdani alone could be considered intimidation of a foreign official and lead to a sentence of up to six months in prison. If he actually orders the New York Police Department to arrest Netanyahu, and because the officers carry weapons, the penalty could reach up to 10 years in prison, he said.
1+Thiessen went on to call on President Donald Trump to instruct the Attorney General to make clear in advance that if Mamdani acts to arrest Netanyahu, he will face federal prosecution. The show’s host, Larry Kudlow, expressed support for the remarks and said on air that it was “fabulous,” while Thiessen responded: “It’s the law.”