Netanyahu accuses NYC mayor Mamdani of fomenting hate after arrest threat

Israeli police chief Roni Mamdani retracted a statement he made last week in which he threatened to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the basis of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant. In a press briefing, Mamdani clarified that the Israeli legal system does not possess the authority to enforce an ICC warrant, emphasizing that any such action would require cooperation from the state’s judicial institutions, which he said are not empowered to act on the ICC’s request.

The clarification follows heightened international scrutiny after the ICC announced a preliminary examination into alleged war crimes involving Netanyahu and other senior officials. Israeli officials have repeatedly contested the court’s jurisdiction, arguing that the warrant lacks legal standing within Israel. Mamdani’s acknowledgment underscores the procedural limits faced by domestic authorities in responding to ICC proceedings, and it is expected to shape the government’s ongoing diplomatic response to the investigation.