President Trump pledges that Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a visit to the United States.
President Trump announced on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested in any way while visiting the United States. This declaration follows a pledge by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to arrest the Israeli leader should he attend the United Nations General Assembly in September. Mamdani, who views Netanyahu as a war criminal, intends to uphold the International Criminal Court warrant issued against the prime minister for actions during the war in Gaza. While Mamdani is consulting with legal advisers to determine if the city has the authority to detain a foreign leader, the administration has already moved to rule out the arrest. The administration has previously sought to disable the International Criminal Court by imposing sanctions on its judges and prosecutors. Netanyahu himself dismissed the threat, suggesting that Mamdani fails to recognize that those who oppose Israel often harbor a dislike for America. The standoff highlights a growing divide within the Democratic Party regarding Israel's role in the Middle East.