President Donald Trump wrote on social media on Monday that Benjamin Netanyahu "will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America." The post did not directly mention New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has said the city’s legal department is actively considering what the law might permit regarding any arrest, should Mr. Netanyahu travel to New York.
The background to the comments is an International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued in 2024 charging Netanyahu with alleged war crimes during the Gaza war. Israel has rejected the court’s jurisdiction and denied that its actions amounted to war crimes.
In a broadcast interview, Mamdani 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," remarks he made on a New York Times video podcast called "The Interview." The mayor, who took office in January, had earlier stated during his mayoral campaign that he would have police arrest Netanyahu if the prime minister set foot in New York City.
Trump’s social media message also credited Israel with assisting in the Iran war. He posted the assertion without referencing Mamdani by name in that particular statement.
Israel’s response to Mamdani’s public remarks came on Sunday through an X post that described the ICC as a "kangaroo court" and called the arrest warrant against Netanyahu "bogus." The post accused Mamdani of attempting to divert public attention and of attacking "the leader of the Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East."
The ICC, established in 2002, has international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The United States and Israel are not parties to the court.
Netanyahu has a regular travel pattern to New York in September to attend the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, a practice noted amid the current dispute. Observers have also highlighted that shortly after Mamdani’s election victory last November, the then mayor-elect met with Trump in the White House in what was described as an unexpectedly cordial encounter despite prior exchanges of insults.
Context and immediate developments
The public exchange centers on legal and diplomatic questions about whether local authorities in New York could act on an ICC warrant and how national and municipal positions would intersect if Netanyahu travels to the city. Trump’s unequivocal declaration that Netanyahu will not be arrested in the United States stands in contrast to Mamdani’s assertion that the city is examining legal avenues.