WASHINGTON — President Trump slapped down New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s dream of arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and chided that Iran’s officials are the ones who should be detained.
Mamdani, 34, campaigned on arresting Netanyahu should the Israeli leader set foot on New York City soil for events like the United Nations General Assembly and recently reiterated that he would still like to pursue that.
“Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” Trump declared on Truth Social, without mentioning Mamdani by name.
“He [Netanyahu] 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 continued.
“The only ones that should be arrested are the people that led Iran into this unprecedented SPIRAL OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION, something that should have been dealt with years ago.”
Hizzoner has contended that Netanyahu should be detained due to the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) 2024 arrest warrant for Netanyahu over the war in Gaza.
The US doesn’t recognize the ICC’s supposed jurisdiction.
As mayor, Mamdani caveated that he will comply with US laws. During an appearance on the New York Times’ “The Interview” podcast last week, Mamdani declared his belief that “Netanyahu belongs in The Hague.”
“He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court,” Hizzoner told the podcast’s host, Lulu Garcia-Navarro. “And what you will find is that is an opinion that is held by many, purely because of what his actions have wrought over these last many years.”
Trump, 80, has previously dismissed Mamdani’s threats against Netanyahu, though he has courted a somewhat chummy relationship with the Big Apple mayor.
UNGA is slated to convene in September, which will likely mark the first time Netanyahu sets foot on New York City soil while Mamdani is in Gracie Mansion.
Netanyahu has been publicly critical of Mamdani, given his fierce public rebukes of Israel.
The Israeli leader recently postponed his planned visit to the US, which had been targeting mid-July, with his office blaming the delay on complications from Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) funeral being delayed.
Partly fueling that was the fact that a meeting with Trump wasn’t put on the books, i24 News reported.
The Post contacted the mayor’s office for comment.
