U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned on the 20th that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not face any form of arrest while in the United States. On that day, Trump posted on his social media site, “Truth Social,” stating, “Netanyahu has been confronting Iran, which has killed 52,000 innocent protesters and U.S. soldiers and others over the past 47 years,” and continued, “He will not be arrested in any way or form during his time in the U.S.” The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024, citing charges of “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity” related to actions in the Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to travel to New York in September for the UN General Assembly. In reaction, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Party, stated to the New York Times (NYT) in an interview on the 18th that he was exploring legal actions to detain Netanyahu, referring to him as a “war criminal charged by the ICC.” Although Israel continues to be a strong ally of the United States, with support from both political parties, its popularity has decreased since the conflict in Gaza. This negative perception is especially prominent among progressive factions within the Democratic Party, which Mamdani represents. During his 2024 mayoral campaign in New York, Mamdani described the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” and promised to direct New York police to arrest Netanyahu if elected. Even during former President Joe Biden’s time in office, Netanyahu’s firm position often led to conflicts.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) was founded in The Hague, Netherlands, in 2002 with the purpose of prosecuting war crimes, genocide, and other crimes against humanity. Although 125 countries, including South Korea, acknowledge the court’s authority, the United States has argued that trying or imprisoning Americans within a legal framework they have not agreed to violates their sovereignty. Specifically, following the ICC’s issuance of an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on ICC officials in February of the subsequent year. Recently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed, “They are waging war against the U.S. by using international law,” and announced intentions to pursue diplomatic efforts aimed at dismantling and weakening the ICC. There is also potential for encouraging allies such as South Korea to withdraw. In a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) opinion piece, Rubio wrote, “We will dismantle the ICC brick by brick in collaboration with all allies.”
Meanwhile, Trump reaffirmed his dedication to strong retaliation against Iran on the same day, asserting that Iran would encounter consequences “several times over” for each U.S. soldier killed. He stated, “For every U.S. soldier that Iran kills, they will pay a price several times over,” and mentioned that this instruction had been communicated to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, JCS Chairman Dan Caine, and all military leaders. Since the beginning of military actions against Iran in February, 17 U.S. soldiers have lost their lives. Recently, two U.S. soldiers based in Jordan were killed in an Iranian missile and drone attack on the 17th, and one more soldier died in Iraq on the 18th while trying to manage and detonate an unexploded Iranian drone.
jasdooit 
Leave a comment