From the Liveblog of
Monday, July 20, 2026
Trump vows Netanyahu won’t be arrested while visiting US, as Mamdani is seeking
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US President Donald Trump declares that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “will not be arrested in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America.”
Trump appears to be responding to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s expressed desire to arrest Netanyahu when he comes to town in September for the UN General Assembly, citing the International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued against the Israeli premier.
Mamdani, however, does not appear to have the legal authority to arrest Netanyahu. The NYC mayor has said he is holding talks with aides and will do what the law allows.
Trump in a Truth Social post says 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 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, by previous presidents.”
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