US President Donald Trump on Monday said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not be arrested while in the United States, responding to remarks by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani that his administration was examining legal options to detain the Israeli leader if he visited the city.

The exchange comes against the backdrop of arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the Gaza conflict. Israel rejects the allegations, while the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute and is not obligated to enforce ICC warrants.

Trump Rules Out Arrest of Netanyahu

In a post on Truth Social, Trump dismissed the possibility of Netanyahu being detained in the United States and defended the Israeli Prime Minister’s actions against Iran.

“Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America. He is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors, and has spent the last 47 years killing American Soldiers, and others. 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! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he wrote.

Trump’s remarks followed comments by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who told The New York Timesthat his administration was assessing what legal authority the city could exercise if Netanyahu travelled to New York.

Mamdani Says Legal Options Under Review

Mamdani described Netanyahu as a “war criminal” who “belongs in The Hague” and said municipal officials were in an “active conversation” with the city’s Law Department to determine the extent of local legal powers.

“Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that’s what we will do,” Mamdani said, adding that his administration was not seeking to introduce new local laws to facilitate such action.

Israeli PM’s Office Rejects ICC Warrant

Netanyahu’s office strongly criticised Mamdani’s comments and rejected the ICC arrest warrant, describing it as “bogus” and calling the court a “kangaroo court” that lacks jurisdiction over both Israel and the United States.

The Prime Minister’s Office also alleged that former ICC prosecutor Karim Khan pursued the warrant to divert attention from subsequent allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

In a statement posted on X, the office accused Mamdani of adopting a similar approach.

“Instead of backing Khan’s criminal behaviour, Mr. Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York,” the statement said. It also accused the mayor of targeting “the leader of the Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East.”

The Israeli government further defended its military campaign in Gaza, stating that its armed forces had adopted “unprecedented wartime measures” to minimise civilian casualties while fighting Hamas, which it accused of using civilians as human shields.

ICC Warrants Remain Contested

The dispute stems from ICC arrest warrants issued in November 2024 against Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict.

Israel has consistently denied the allegations and disputed the court’s jurisdiction. The United States, which is not a signatory to the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, has no international legal obligation to arrest or extradite individuals wanted by the court.

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