Trump Says Netanyahu Will Not Be Arrested During Any Visit To US

United States President Donald Trump has declared that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested during any visit to the United States, following remarks by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani suggesting the city was considering its legal options over an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant.

Trump made the declaration in a post on his Truth Social platform, insisting that Netanyahu would not be detained while on American soil.

“Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” Trump wrote in the post, without directly mentioning Mamdani.

The statement comes after the Hague-based ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 over alleged war crimes committed during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Israel has rejected the court’s jurisdiction and denied the allegations against its prime minister.

Although Trump did not refer to Mamdani by name, he praised Israel’s role in the recent conflict involving Iran.

Mamdani, however, said New York City’s legal department was reviewing whether any legal obligations could arise from the ICC warrant should Netanyahu visit the city.

Speaking during The New York Times video podcast, The Interview, aired on Saturday, the mayor said:

“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court.”

Netanyahu is expected to travel to New York in September to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), where world leaders convene each year.

Israel on Sunday strongly rejected Mamdani’s comments, describing the ICC as a “kangaroo court” and dismissing the arrest warrant against Netanyahu as “bogus.”

In a post on X, the Israeli government said:

“Mamdani appears interested in diverting public attention from his follies and attacking the leader of the Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East.”

The International Criminal Court, established in 2002 and headquartered in The Hague, has jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. However, neither the United States nor Israel is a member of the court.