Mamdani wants Netanyahu to be arrested when he visits New York, Trump says, ‘Not possible’
US President Donald Trump has said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested under any circumstances when he visits New York in September. Trump clarified his position on the issue after New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani raised the possibility of arresting Netanyahu.
In a post on social media site Truth Social on Monday (July 20), Trump said, ‘Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested under any circumstances while he is in the United States.’ Earlier, Mayor Zohran Mamdani commented that the New York City Law Department is discussing the possibility of arresting Netanyahu when he comes to the city to attend the United Nations General Assembly in September.
In The New York Times’ ‘The Interview’ podcast published on Saturday, Mamdani said, ‘I believe Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague.’ He added, “The International Criminal Court (ICC) has indicted him for war crimes. Many people have the same opinion because of his actions over the past few years.”
In response to Mamdani’s statement, Trump said that Netanyahu is leading a fight that is against the Islamic Republic. Trump claimed that Iran recently killed 52,000 innocent protesters and has been killing many people, including US soldiers, for the past 47 years. He also wrote, “Those who have pushed Iran into this unprecedented cycle of death and destruction should be arrested. Previous presidents should have taken action on this matter long ago.”
ICC Arrest Warrant
On November 21, 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu. The court alleges that he used starvation as a tactic of war during the Gaza war, deliberately targeted civilians, and committed murder, torture, and other crimes against humanity.
The case stems from the war that began in Gaza on October 7, 2023, following Hamas’s attack on Israel.
Netanyahu’s office responded
In a statement released Sunday, Netanyahu’s office sharply criticized the ICC and New York Mayor Zohar Mamdani.
“The ICC is a farce court that has no jurisdiction over citizens of the United States or Israel. The so-called arrest warrant issued against Prime Minister Netanyahu was issued by former ICC prosecutor Karim Khan just days before allegations of sexual misconduct against him were made public.”
The statement added, “Rather than supporting Karim Khan’s actions, Mr. Mamdani should focus on addressing the harm his policies have caused New York.” Like Karim Khan, Mamdani seems more interested in deflecting public attention from his own failures and attacking the leader of the Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East.
