“Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” Trump posted on social media, without addressing the mayor’s remarks.
The International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 for alleged war crimes during the Gaza conflict. Israel contests the court’s authority and refutes claims of war crimes.
While Trump did not mention Mamdani in his Truth Social update, he acknowledged Israel’s role in the Iran conflict.
The New York City mayor commented in an interview aired on Saturday that the legal department of the city is reviewing the potential legal options.
“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court,” Mamdani expressed during a New York Times video podcast titled “The Interview.”
Israel claims ICC arrest warrant is ‘bogus’
Netanyahu typically visits New York each September for the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting of world leaders.
Israel responded to Mamdani’s remarks on Sunday in a post on X, calling the ICC a kangaroo court and dismissing the arrest warrant against Netanyahu as bogus.
“Mamdani seems keen on shifting public focus from his own shortcomings and criticizing the leader of the Jewish state, the only democracy in the Middle East,” it stated.
The ICC was established in 2002 and holds international authority to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Neither the United States nor Israel are members of the court.
Mamdani, who was sworn in January, had pledged during his mayoral campaign to order the arrest of Netanyahu if he entered New York City.
Last November, shortly after Mamdani won the election, he and Trump shared an unexpectedly amicable meeting at the White House, despite their prior exchanges of insults.
