US President Donald Trump has declared that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested on American soil under any circumstances. He made the statement in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
What Trump said
Trump wrote, "Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America." He went on to allege that Iran had recently caused the deaths of 52,000 innocent protestors, and accused the country of killing American soldiers and other people over the past 47 years. Trump argued that the people who should actually face arrest are those who pushed Iran into what he called a spiral of death and destruction, adding that previous presidents should have addressed the issue years earlier. He signed the post off as President Donald J. Trump.
Why this is coming up now
The post lands amid renewed debate over a possible arrest of Netanyahu. The International Criminal Court has already issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and then Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, after rejecting Israel's challenge to the court's jurisdiction over the case.
A New York flashpoint
According to news reports, talk of arresting Netanyahu has also flared in New York after Zohran Mamdani raised the possibility, pulling the issue into American domestic politics as well.
Pressure on Netanyahu at home
According to news reports, Netanyahu is facing criticism within Israel too, with political rivals attacking him over concessions made on Lebanon under pressure from Trump, even as his tight grip over the Republican Party leaves Netanyahu with few other places to turn for support.
What it means
Trump's statement signals that he is standing firmly behind Netanyahu despite international pressure, while sticking to his hardline stance on Iran. The post is also likely to fuel the ongoing divide in the US between supporters and critics of Israel's government.
