Diplomacy & Geopolitics
Trump says Netanyahu will not be arrested in New York
US President Donald Trump said Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not be arrested while in the United States, after New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was looking into whether city police could detain him at a United Nations summit in New York.
Mamdani said he was not sure whether he had the authority to order police to arrest a foreign leader. He said he was discussing the issue with his legal team before the UN General Assembly in September.
Trump rejected the possibility in a social media post. He said Netanyahu would not be arrested in any way while in the United States and said the Israeli prime minister was fighting Iran.
The International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, said in 2024 that it had reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israel's offensive in Gaza after the October 7, 2023 cross-border attack by Hamas.
Mamdani told the New York Times on Saturday that he believed Netanyahu belonged in The Hague and called him a war criminal. Netanyahu's office also dismissed Mamdani's position and described the ICC as a kangaroo court.
Update
Mamdani said he was unsure whether he had authority to order police to detain a foreign leader and was discussing the issue with his legal team before the UN General Assembly in September.
Trump wrote that Netanyahu would not be arrested while in the United States and said Netanyahu was fighting Iran.
The source adds context on the ICC's 2024 finding that there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Gaza offensive after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
Mamdani told the New York Times that he believed Netanyahu belonged in The Hague and called him a war criminal.
Netanyahu's office rejected Mamdani's stance and called the ICC a kangaroo court.
Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 17:31:31 UTC.
Update
US President Donald Trump said Benjamin Netanyahu would not be arrested while in the United States.
Trump said Netanyahu was fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Mamdani said he was unsure whether he had the power to order police to detain a foreign leader and was discussing the issue with the city's legal team.
Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 17:11:57 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Mamdani said he was unsure whether he had legal authority to order police to detain a foreign leader.
Source
AFP news report published on .