President Donald Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would face no legal action while on U.S. soil, weighing in on controversy surrounding Netanyahu’s planned visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly amid the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against him.
Trump made the statement Monday in a Truth Social post, apparently responding to recent remarks by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who suggested New York City’s Law Department was discussing whether Netanyahu could be detained during his September visit.
“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mamdani told The New York Times’ “The Interview” podcast, published Saturday.
“He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court. And what you will find is that is an opinion that is held by many purely because of what his actions have wrought over these last many years.”
Trump, however, was unequivocal. “Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” he wrote.
Trump also framed Netanyahu as a key ally against Iran.
“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,” Trump wrote.
“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!”
🚨Mamdani on why he ordered review re: Netanyahu arrest:
“He’s the architect of the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza as Israel’s prime minister…
“If someone is charged with a warrant for by the International Criminal Court for these kinds of crimes, that’s something I… https://t.co/6OfJPRJQ4u pic.twitter.com/Wee0mbID9S
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) July 20, 2026
Trump did not provide evidence for the claim that Iran had “recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors,” and the figure could not be independently verified.
The ICC issued its arrest warrant for Netanyahu on Nov. 21, 2024, alleging that he is “responsible for the war crimes of starvation as a method of warfare and of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population” in Gaza, as well as “crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024.”
The case stems from Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.
The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, and does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction over U.S. nationals or have a legal obligation to enforce its arrest warrants.
The Prime Minister’s Office:
The ICC is a kangaroo court that has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis. Its bogus arrest warrant against Prime Minister Netanyahu was issued by a disgraced former ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan, a few days before allegations of sexual misconduct…
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) July 19, 2026
Netanyahu’s office rejected the ICC warrant and criticized Mamdani in a statement posted Sunday on X.
“The ICC is a kangaroo court that has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis,” the prime minister’s office said. “Its bogus arrest warrant against Prime Minister Netanyahu was issued by a disgraced former ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan, a few days before allegations of sexual misconduct against him became public.”
The statement also criticized Mamdani: “Instead of backing Khan’s criminal behavior, Mr. Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York. Like Karim Khan, Mamdani appears interested in diverting public attention from his follies and attacking the leader of the Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East.”
Mamdani has been an outspoken critic of foreign leaders involved in conflicts and human rights situations. He criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been accused of inciting massacre of Muslims in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2002. The Indian courts have not ruled against Modi, saying they have not been presented enough evidence.
Mamdani is a self-described Democrat Socialist, who ran a campaign for NYC mayor on a populist agenda, and has become an influential figure in New York’s Democratic politics.
Iftikhar Ali is a veteran Pakistani journalist, former president of UN Correspondents Association, and a recipient of the Pride of Performance civil award
