A new poll shows almost half of Americans believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested if he visits the U.S. - echoing a call made by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
This month, Mamdani said officials were looking into if New York City could carry out an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Netanyahu if he had visited. But after being unable to find a legal pathway, Mamdani instead called on the federal government to detain him.
In the poll released by Economist/YouGov this week, around 49% of Americans agreed that Netanyahu should be arrested if he visited the U.S. based on the ICC warrant; 27% think he should not be detained by the U.S.
The warrant, issued in November 2024, accuses Netanyahu of war crimes
and crimes against humanity as a result of Israel's military actions in Gaza. But the United States does not recognize the court.
Approximately 68% of Democrats want the Israeli leader arrested by the U.S., in comparison to around 24% of Republicans, the poll says.
President Donald Trump — an ally of Netanyahu — has previously said that he would not be arrested.
The call from Mamdani came ahead of a visit in September, when Netanyahu is expected to attend the United Nations' General Assembly. Aside from the U.S. not recognizing the court, legal protections are also in place for leaders who visit the UN's New York City headquarters.
Netanyahu said he still plans to go despite Mamdani emphasizing that he was not welcome in New York City.
"I speak to Jewish-Americans in New York and they're afraid right now," Netanyahu said. "I intend to come and speak the truth, speak for Israel and for the Israeli-American alliance from the podium of the United Nations."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Poll says many back US arrest of Netanyahu, in line with Mamdani
