Trump says Netanyahu will not face arrest during New York visit, counters mayor's claim
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President Donald Trump asserted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be detained while in the United States, rejecting New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's suggestion that an International Criminal Court arrest warrant could be enforced during the UN General Assembly.
President Donald Trump said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested while in the United States, responding to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s remarks that the city’s legal department was reviewing the possibility of detaining the leader during his September visit for the United Nations General Assembly.
Mamdian told The New York Times’ "The Interview" podcast that he believes Netanyahu belongs in The Hague and described the prime minister as a war criminal charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC issued an arrest warrant on Nov. 21, 2024, accusing Netanyahu of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israel’s war in Gaza that began after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
"I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague," Mamdani said.
Trump posted on his social-media platform that Netanyahu will not be arrested in any form while in the United States, adding that the focus should be on Iran’s actions rather than the Israeli leader.
"Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America," Trump wrote.
Netanyahu’s office dismissed the ICC warrant, calling the court a “kangaroo court” lacking jurisdiction over Israelis or Americans, and criticized Mamdani’s comments as a diversion from local policy issues.
"The ICC is a kangaroo court that has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis," the prime minister’s office said in a statement posted on X.
The dispute highlights ongoing tensions over the ICC’s authority and the political ramifications of the war in Gaza.