Trump vows Netanyahu ‘will not be arrested’ in US after Mamdani floats acting on ICC warrant

President Donald Trump said July 20 that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “will not be arrested” anywhere in the U.S. after New York City Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani said city lawyers were exploring whether Netanyahu could be detained if he visits New York.

“Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump’s post, which did not mention Mamdani by name, defended Netanyahu as an ally in the war against Iran and argued that “the only ones that should be arrested are the people that led Iran into this unprecedented spiral of death and destruction.”

Mamdani recently reiterated his belief that Netanyahu should be brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mamdani said in an interview published July 18. “He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court.”

Mamdani said he was in “an active conversation” with the New York City Law Department about whether he has the legal authority to detain Netanyahu. The mayor stopped short of repeating his earlier categorical campaign promise to order the New York Police Department to make the arrest.

“Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that’s what we will do,” Mamdani said. “We won’t be writing our own laws to that end.”

The question could arise when Netanyahu travels to New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September. The prime minister has regularly attended the annual gathering.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz dismissed Mamdani’s proposal July 18 as “pure political theater,” noting that the U.S. is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. Israel is also not a member of the court.

The ICC issued its warrant for Netanyahu and then-Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024. The court said it found reasonable grounds to believe they bore responsibility for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Israel has rejected the accusations, denied committing war crimes, and challenged the ICC’s jurisdiction.

Trump’s declaration offers Netanyahu protection at a time when the prime minister has become increasingly unpopular with the American public.

A Quinnipiac University survey conducted June 18-22 found that only 20% of registered voters viewed Netanyahu favorably, compared with 48% who viewed him unfavorably.

Broader skepticism toward Netanyahu’s government and Israel’s conduct in Gaza is also visible among American Jews and younger Republicans, two constituencies often assumed to be broadly supportive of Israel. A July AP-NORC survey found that approximately 30% of American Jewish adults believed Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.

Recent Pew Research Center polling similarly found 57% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents ages 18–49 viewed Israel unfavorably, up from 50% the previous year, and only 30% expressed confidence in Netanyahu. In a separate Pew survey released in July, just 28% of Republicans under 30 viewed the Israeli government favorably.

Trump’s defense of Netanyahu also comes despite a series of unusually public disagreements between the Israeli leader and senior U.S. officials, including Trump himself, over efforts to end the Iran war and fighting in Lebanon.

As Zeale News previously reported, Trump said in June that he was “very angry” after Israel launched strikes in Beirut while the U.S. was attempting to complete an agreement with Iran. He later said he was “not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon and with Hezbollah,” citing high civilian deaths amid Israeli strikes. Trump warned then that “Bibi has to be more responsible.”

Vice President JD Vance escalated the administration’s criticisms July 15, accusing Israel-linked political operatives of participating in a “very discreet, extremely well-funded campaign” to derail U.S. negotiations with Iran.

Vance said the campaign involved people paid by figures connected to elements of the Israeli government who were “attacking me obsessively” for attempting to negotiate an end to the war. He said his response to such interference was, “Go to hell. I’m going to do what I have to do for the American people. I represent Americans first.”

Vance emphasized that he was not accusing the entire Israeli government. He nevertheless said he knew “beyond a shadow of a doubt” that some Israeli officials were trying to influence American opinion to keep the military campaign going indefinitely.