Trump guarantees no arrest for Netanyahu

US President Donald Trump issued a statement after New York City Council member Zohran Mamdani suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested if he visits the city for the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Trump stated, "Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested in any way while he is in the United States. He is fighting against Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protesters and has been killing American soldiers and other people for the last 47 years.

Those who should be arrested are the people who dragged Iran into this unprecedented spiral of death and destruction. This matter should have been resolved years ago under previous presidents," he said.

ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court ruled that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu bears criminal responsibility for war crimes, including the use of starvation as a weapon of war and intentional attacks against the civilian population, as well as crimes against humanity consisting of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.

In this context, the court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Since that date, Netanyahu has only been able to make official visits to the United States and Hungary, which has been one of Israel's closest allies during the tenure of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

New York City Council member Zohran Mamdani had stated that Netanyahu is a war criminal who should be tried at the ICC, saying, "If Netanyahu visits New York, he should be arrested."

News Source: 12punto