Donald Trump said Monday morning that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not be at risk of arrest if he travels to the United States.
‘Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America. 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,’ the President posted on Truth Social.
Trump went on to say that the people who should face arrest are ‘the people that led Iran into this unprecedented spiral of death and destruction.’
His comments came as he also issued a blunt warning to Iran, promising retaliation for every American killed in the conflict.
‘Every time Iran kills an American soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!’ Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that the order had been relayed to ‘every leader in the military.’
Also on Monday, the U.S. military named two soldiers who died while serving in Jordan. In Iraq, another service member was killed following what was reported as a ‘controlled detonation’ of an Iranian drone.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, called off his planned visit to Washington, which had initially been scheduled for July 18.
The meeting was postponed to an unspecified date after the funeral of the late Senator Lindsey Graham was pushed back until the end of the month.
People have slammed New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani after he said he would arrest Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he came to New York City
Mamdani called Netanyahu a ‘war criminal’ who ‘belongs in the Hague’ during a recent interview with The New York Times
President Donald Trump declared Monday morning that Netanyahu will face no threat of arrest during any potential visit to the United States
The White House has not confirmed that Netanyahu would like to attend Graham’s memorial services.
Meanwhile, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani revealed that his administration is still debating whether to arrest Israel’s prime minister when he arrives in the city for September’s UN General Assembly.
Netanyahu is referred to as an alleged war criminal by some because a warrant was issued for his arrest on November 21, 2024, by the International Criminal Court.
The court has accused him of allegedly being involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity during the conflict in Gaza.
‘I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,’ Mamdani told a New York Times show.
The Hague is the home of the United Nations’ International Court of Justice.
In comments on Monday, Mamdani reiterated his belief that the international charges against Netanyahu should be taken seriously.
‘My administration will follow all applicable local laws,’ he told reporters. ‘If someone is charged with a warrant by the International Criminal Court for these kinds of crimes, that’s something I believe that should be honored.’
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz called Mamdani’s comment ‘pure political theater’
In a previous interview when he was a candidate, Mamdani said in an interview with the Times that he would order the Police Department in New York to arrest Netanyahu if he ended up in New York.
His opinion on Netanyahu has not sat well with some of the public, including US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, who called Mamdani’s statement ‘pure political theater’.
‘Federal authority trumps any local mayor’s wishes,’ Waltz wrote on X.
The Trump ally then listed several reasons why he says Mamdani would not have the authority to arrest the Prime Minister, emphasizing that the UN grants diplomatic protections to all heads of government that visit, and that the federal authority comes above ‘any local mayor’s wishes.’
House Republicans echoed Walz’s response and suggested that Mamdani focus more on running his city than on Netanyahu.
‘Mamdani is threatening to arrest the head of one of our closest allies,’ the group wrote. ‘He should stop politicizing local law enforcement and interfering with US foreign policy and instead focus on rising rent and housing prices and antisemitism in NYC.’
Eric Adams, the former mayor of New York City, even chimed in about Mamdani’s statement, calling it ‘reckless’.
‘This isn’t a college protest. This is the City of New York. Threatening to arrest the democratically elected leader of one of America’s closest allies during UN General Assembly week isn’t bold. It’s reckless,’ Adams wrote on X.
In comments on Monday, Mamdani reiterated his belief that the international charges against Netanyahu should be taken seriously
Former New York City mayor Eric Adams weighed in on Mamdani’s comments about Netanyahu
Israel’s prime minister tackled Mamdani’s comments head-on during a recent radio report, saying he is ‘not concerned’ while also accusing Mamdani of being a Hamas supporter.
‘I think he should look at who he’s condemning, who he’s praising,’ the Prime Minister said during an interview this week. ‘He’s condemning Israel, the one democracy that stands shoulder to shoulder with American values.’
Netanyahu added that Mamdani ‘secretly hates America.’
‘Who does he champion? Hamas, that calls openly to massacre every Jew on earth, that conducted that horrible massacre, the worst massacre on Jews since the Holocaust,’ he added during the interview.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, almost half of House Democrats voted last week in favor of ending America’s aid to Israel.
There were not enough votes for it to pass, but the overwhelming majority displayed a shift in the party’s position on one of the greatest allies in the Middle East.
