Mamdani must ‘bear consequences’ for threatening to arrest Netanyahu, Jewish NY City Council member says

New York City Council member Inna Vernikov has called for U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to assess potential federal consequences for Mayor Zohran Mamdani if he attempts to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his upcoming visit to New York for the U.N. General Assembly. Vernikov, a Jewish Republican, sent a letter to Rubio accusing Mamdani of threatening an “illegal order of arrest” and urged the State Department to issue a formal warning and determine if such an action would violate U.S. law. She stated, “Not only does this political theater further fan the flames of antisemitism in New York City, but it is entirely baseless, as the mayor has no legal authority to arrest a sitting foreign diplomat.” Former U.S. President Donald Trump also affirmed that Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape or form, while in the United States of America.” Mamdani has reportedly been consulting with the city’s Law Department regarding the legal authority to act on an International Criminal Court warrant against Netanyahu.