Trump Rejects Mamdani Push to Arrest Netanyahu Over ICC War Crimes Warrant
President Donald Trump rejected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s position on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying Netanyahu would not be arrested while in the United States.
The clash centers on an International Criminal Court warrant issued in 2024 for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity connected to the war in Gaza. The ICC says judges found reasonable grounds to issue warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Israel denies the accusations and rejects the court’s authority.
Mamdani had explored whether New York City could act if Netanyahu visited for the United Nations General Assembly. He later said the city does not have legal authority to execute the warrant, but called on the federal government to do so.
That distinction is the core consequence. Mamdani can use the mayor’s office to make a foreign policy statement, but local police authority does not appear to reach an ICC warrant that the federal government does not recognize.
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The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute and has not accepted ICC authority. The Justice Department recently reiterated that position in a separate ICC jurisdiction dispute.
The reaction has been sharp. Trump publicly assured Netanyahu he would not be arrested. Sen. John Fetterman and House Republicans criticized Mamdani’s position, while Israeli officials dismissed the ICC warrant as illegitimate.
The next flashpoint is Netanyahu’s expected United Nations visit in September, when the legal question is likely to remain secondary to the political fight over Gaza, international law, and U.S. support for Israel.
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