President Donald Trump mentioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “won’t be arrested” throughout his scheduled September go to to New York, signaling opposition to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s suggestion he may very well be detained.
“Benjamin Netanyahu won’t be arrested, in any means, form, or kind, whereas in america of America. He’s combating towards the Islamic Republic of Iran, which not too long ago killed 52,000 harmless protestors, and has spent the final 47 years killing American Troopers, and others,” the president wrote Monday on TruthSocial.
Mamdani, in a latest interview, refused to rule out making an attempt to arrest Netanyahu if he returns for the UN Normal Meeting.
“I imagine that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. He is a battle prison who has been charged by the Worldwide Legal Courtroom,” Mamdani mentioned in a New York Occasions video podcast known as “The Interview,” which was posted Saturday.
“I’ve additionally mentioned that I’ll observe the legal guidelines that now we have right here in New York Metropolis as a result of I imagine that there’s an significance in following the legislation as a pacesetter who presides over our metropolis, and that is one thing that I plan to do.”
When requested by Occasions journalist Lulu Garcia-Navarro what the legislation permits Mamdani and the town to do, the mayor replied, “That is an lively dialog with our authorized division in seeing what the prospects are now we have right here in our municipality.”
On Sunday, Netanyahu reposted a press release from his workplace, which slammed each Mamdani and the ICC.
“The ICC is a kangaroo court docket that has no jurisdiction over People or Israelis,” the assertion began. “Its bogus arrest warrant towards Prime Minister Netanyahu was issued by a disgraced former ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan, a couple of days earlier than allegations of sexual misconduct towards him grew to become public. It was a transparent try by Khan to divert public consideration and search safety from scrutiny.”
The Trump administration has introduced sanctions towards Khan, the court docket’s chief prosecutor, and a dozen different ICC workers in retaliation for warrants the court docket issued for high Israeli officers over the battle in Gaza and investigations into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan.
An investigation into sexual misconduct allegations towards Khan discovered he had engaged in “critical misconduct” and “critical breach of obligation,” based on paperwork seen by The Related Press in June.
Turning to the mayor, the assertion provides, “As an alternative of backing Khan’s prison behaviour, Mr. Mamdani ought to concentrate on fixing the injury his insurance policies have brought about New York. Like Karim Khan, Mamdani seems concerned with diverting public consideration from his follies and attacking the chief of the Jewish state and the one democracy within the Center East.”
A number of former prosecutors say if Mayor Mamdani or any New York police official tried to arrest Netanyahu based mostly on an ICC warrant, it could be a violation of U.S. federal legislation and so they themselves may very well be charged with federal conspiracy crimes.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz condemned Mamdani’s unwillingness to reject the concept of arresting Netanyahu on New York Metropolis soil. “Mayor Mamdani: right here’s why your risk to arrest PM Netanyahu’s in NYC throughout UNGA will not be going to occur,” Waltz started a publish on X Saturday. “1. The U.S. will not be celebration to the Rome Statute that underlies the ICC, 2. The UN Headquarters Settlement grants diplomatic protections to visiting heads of gov’t, 3. head-of-state immunity applies, & 4. federal authority trumps any native mayor’s needs.” Waltz went on to name Mamdani’s feedback “pure political theater.”
As a candidate for mayor, Mamdani promised that if Netanyahu visited New York Metropolis, he would honor the ICC warrant and have Netanyahu arrested for battle crimes. Israel has denied it engages in genocide or battle crimes.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
