US President Donald Trump has rejected the threats from the New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to arrest Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes if he visits the city. Trump, in his latest statement, insisted that “Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested in any way, shape, or form while in the US or visiting New York City.”
The statement read that Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested in any way, shape or form while in the United States of America. Trump further said that Netanyahu “is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran which recently killed 52,000 innocent protesters and has spent last 47 years killing American soldiers and others.”
The statement further read that the “only ones that should be arrested are the people that led Iran into this unprecedented spiral of death and destruction, something that should have been dealt with years ago by previous presidents.” Trump retorted to Mamdani reviving his election campaign vow to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu.
Read more: Four US service members killed in Iranian retaliatory strikes – Pentagon
Speaking on the New York Times “The Interview” podcast, Mamdani said his administration’s legal department is actively discussing the potential arrest of Netanyahu.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 20, 2026
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders in 2024, accused them of war crimes during and after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden have denounced the ICC warrant.
The statements of Zohran Mamdani and Trump coincide with the Trump administration’s ongoing beef against the ICC, with the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio promising to dismantle the court and calling it a threat to the existence to America. Not with bullets or missiles, but with the force of so-called international law.
Mamdani is a fierce critic of the Israeli government and its ongoing war in Gaza and has repeatedly criticized Israeli war in Gaza as genocide. Israel has denied these claims. Arresting Netanyahu was one of the vows Zoran Mamdani made during his campaign for the mayoral elections in New York. U.S.
Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz on Saturday called the mayor’s comments pure political theater and noted that the U.S. is not the member of the ICC. Defying the statements of Netanyahu, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said on social media on Saturday that Netanyahu will come to New York, address the United Nations General Assembly with pride, and stand before the world to state Israel’s truth and its unwavering rights to defend its citizens.
