Donald Trump has criticized New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani’s declaration to potentially arrest Benjamin Netanyahu upon his arrival in New York City. Trump asserted that the Israeli Prime Minister would not face any form of detention in the United States.
Mamdani had previously mentioned that his administration was discussing the possibility of detaining Netanyahu during his visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September. This decision came following charges of war crimes against Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court (ICC) related to the events in Gaza.
In a press conference, Mamdani highlighted that Netanyahu was the subject of an ICC arrest warrant for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes, particularly related to the situation in Gaza. He emphasized that these were not personal opinions but well-documented facts.
Trump took to Truth Social to publicly oppose Mamdani’s stance, asserting that Netanyahu would not face arrest during his time in the United States. He redirected attention to addressing issues with Iran instead of targeting Netanyahu.
The ICC had issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024, accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Mamdani expressed his belief that Netanyahu should face justice in the Hague due to his actions.
However, Mamdani acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding his authority to order the NYPD to apprehend a foreign head of state, stating that they would abide by local laws without creating new ones for this purpose. Legal experts suggested that orchestrating Netanyahu’s arrest would be highly challenging for Mamdani.
Netanyahu responded angrily to Mamdani’s remarks, dismissing the ICC’s jurisdiction over Americans and Israelis. He criticized the ICC’s arrest warrant against him and accused Mamdani of trying to divert attention from his own policies.
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