Overview
- In a letter to Brooklyn Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, Benjamin Netanyahu thanked her for the invitation and said he cannot come on January 1 but plans to visit New York soon.
- Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani campaigned on directing the NYPD to arrest Netanyahu if he visits, citing the International Criminal Court’s 2024 warrant tied to the Gaza conflict.
- The United States does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction, and legal analysts say municipal authorities cannot arrest a sitting foreign head of government.
- No law enforcement agency has indicated it would act on Mamdani’s pledge, and reporting notes no operational plan has been signaled.
- Netanyahu has said in recent interviews that he intends to come to New York and is not afraid to travel, while Vernikov cast her invite as support for ties with Israel and criticized Mamdani.