President Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pushing back against New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's threat to arrest the Israeli leader during his upcoming U.S. visit.
Trump took to Truth Social on Monday and stated, “Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America.”
The President defended Netanyahu, saying he is fighting Iran’s Islamic Republic, which he accused of killing 52,000 protesters and spending the past 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,” Trump wrote.
Mamdani Doubles Down on Threat
Trump’s post comes in response to Mamdani’s recent reaffirmation of his intent to arrest Netanyahu if he attends the United Nations General Assembly in September. The Mayor’s stance is based on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant issued against Netanyahu nearly two years ago over the war in Gaza.
The mayor said the city would enforce an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over the Gaza war, reiterating a pledge he first made during his campaign and repeated in last week’s interview with the New York Times. Mamdani doubled down on his threat on Monday.
Netanyahu’s office has accused the ICC of using the arrest warrant as a diversion from sexual misconduct allegations against former ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan. The office has referred to the ICC as “a kangaroo court that has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis.”
The Israeli Prime Minister also dismissed Mamdani’s threat, saying the Mayor aligns with terrorist groups and fails to recognize that those who hate Jews and Israel also hate America, reported Israel National News.
Can Mamdani Arrest Netanyahu?
Attorney and Chief Legal Analyst at CNN, Laura Coates, weighed in on whether Mamdani has the authority to arrest Netanyahu.
According to Coates, the legal answer is “no” because the United States does not recognize the ICC, is not a party to the ICC, and therefore has no authority to enforce its arrest warrants. She also highlighted that Trump had called for dismantling the international body.
Secondly, Netanyahu is a foreign head of state, and the U.S. Constitution only allows the Federal Government, not the local or State governments, the “main power” to act on such issues. Thirdly, the UN Headquarters Agreement offers leaders like Netanyahu diplomatic immunity from personal arrest or detention.
When pressed on whether he could actually go ahead with the arrest, Mamdani told the New York Times, “Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that’s what we will do.” He said he was in “an active conversation” with New York City’s Law Department about whether he had the authority to arrest the Israeli leader.
