New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has acknowledged that he lacks the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite having said during his mayoral campaign that he would seek to do so. Jewish leaders and rabbis told Fox News Digital that the clarification had not eased their concerns, arguing that his continuing rhetoric risks deepening divisions between City Hall and parts of the city’s Jewish community amid heightened anxiety about antisemitism.

The issue resurfaced after Mamdani posted a social-media video saying Netanyahu should be held accountable under an International Criminal Court warrant, while calling him a war criminal and accusing him of genocide against Palestinians. Israel has been a persistent source of tension between Mamdani and Jewish community representatives since his campaign, with critics previously noting that a New York mayor has no authority to make such an arrest.