New York mayor says Netanyahu could face arrest in US, Trump responds
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he would not rule out the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city. On July 20, US President Donald Trump responded to those remarks in a post on Truth Social.
"Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America. He is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors, and has spent the last 47 years killing American soldiers and others," Trump wrote.
According to Trump, the only people who should be arrested are those who dragged Iran into "this unprecedented spiral of death and destruction" — a crisis that previous presidents "should have dealt with years ago."
What happened
On July 19, Mamdani said he was considering the possibility of detaining Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister visits New York for the UN General Assembly in September.
The New York mayor said he considers Netanyahu a war criminal who should stand trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
At the same time, Mamdani acknowledged that it remains unclear whether he has the legal authority to order the New York Police Department to detain the leader of a foreign state. As a result, the city administration has begun consultations with its legal department.
ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu
The International Criminal Court previously issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
According to the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber, Netanyahu may have intentionally deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including water, medicine, and food.
Under the ICC warrant, countries that are parties to the Rome Statute are obligated to arrest the Israeli prime minister if he enters their territory. However, the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute.
Earlier, during a phone call, Donald Trump urged Benjamin Netanyahu to begin withdrawing Israeli forces from southern Syria and Lebanon.
Washington believes that maintaining a military presence in those areas only increases tensions in the Middle East.
